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OF  CALIFORNIA 

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CUSTOMS 


HABITS   OF  THE  TURKS. 


By   albert    smith. 


EMBELLISHED    WITH 


OYER  FORTY  ELEGANT  WOOD  ENGRAVINGS. 


BOSTON: 
HIGGINS   &  BEADLEY, 

20    WASHINGTON    ST. 
1856. 


PREFACE. 


I  FEAR  that  those  of  my  friends  who  looked  for  a  "  Comic 
Constantinople "  in  this  volume,  will  be  somewhat  disap- 
pointed ;  so  also  will  those  who  thought  I  might  be  tempted, 
by  the  example  of  all  other  writers,  to  give  my  own  opinions, 
either  upon  the  long- vexed  question  of  Eastern  politics,  or  the 
social  and  probable  condition  of  the  Turks.  With  the  con- 
viction that,  in  the  first  place,  the  funny  school  has  been  a 
little  overdone  of  late  ;  and,  in  the  second,  that  far  more  able 
and  experienced  heads  than  those  of  the  mere  tourist  are 
constantly  and  gravely  discussing  the  relations  between 
Turkey  and  the  Frank  world,  with  practical  views  and 
powers,  I  have  only  essayed  to  present  a  book  of  First 
Impressions, — describing  all  things,  as  plainly  as  may  be, 
just  as  they  struck  me  upon  my  journey ;  coloring  nothing 
for  the  sake  of  a  page  of  poetical  description  or  conventional 
enthusiasm,  nor  depreciating  anything  because  it  chanced  to 
cross  some  private  whim  or  fancy  of  my  own. 

When  I  was  on  my  way  to  the  East,  by  the  route  that  I 

«~k  /"!  ,''>  '^>  >  «"-''^>  ,a 


IV  PREFACE. 

have  detailed  in  the  appendix,  I  met  many  return  travellers, 
•whom  I  was  always  eager  to  question  upon  several  points 
connected  with  the  general  superficial  features  of  a  sojourn  at 
Constantinople  ;  and  I  found  many  little  practical  hints  they 
^ve  me,  of  much  service  on  my  arrival.  In  turn,  I  now 
present  these  to  my  readers,  premising  that  my  humble 
addition  to  the  catalogue  of  works  upon  the  East  already 
published,  is  intended  solely  for  those  who  have  not  been 
there. 

With  respect  to  the  illustrations,  I  have  given  only  those 
which  appeared  to  be  the  most  characteristic,  rather  than  the 
most  imposing.  After  the  magic  pencils  that  have  so  admi- 
rably delineated  the  principal  features  of  the  Bosphorus  and 
the  Golden  Horn,  any  attempt  on  my  part,  to  offer  a  fresh 
view  of  the  pinnacled  glories  of  Stamboul,  or  the  fairy  palaces 
of  the  "  Ocean  Stream,"  would  have  been  preposterous  and 
absurd.  There  are  many  works  of  first-rate  excellence, 
popular  in  England,  in  which  fine  drawings  Avill  be  found  of 
most  of  the  spots  I  have  described,  and  which  they  will  more 
ably  illustrate  than  any  attempts  of  my  own. 

It  is  with  the  greatest  pleasure  I  am  enabled  to  acknowl- 
edge, in  this  place,  the  kindness  I  received  from  my  friends 
at  Constantinople.  Mr.  Taylor,  of  the  Gun  Factory;  Mr. 
Grace,  of  Galata;  Mr.  O'Brien,  of  Therapia;  Mr.  Smith,  the 
Architect ;  and  Mr.  Robertson,  of  the  Mint,  by  their  unweary- 
ing attentions,  have  caused  me  to  look  back  upon  Pera  as  a 
«pot  where  8ome  of  my  most  pleasant  hours  were  passed.     To 


PREFACE. 


the  latter  gentleman  I  am  indebted  for  the  charming  water- 
color  sketch  from  which  the  frontispiece  of  this  volume  has 
been  engraved.  If  I  do  not  allude  especially  to  the  courtesy 
I  experienced  at  our  Embassy,  it  is  because  the  names  of  Sir 
Stratford  and  Lady  Canning  are  already  world-renowned  for 
graceful  hospitality.  ^ 

That  my  readers  may  gain  a  clearer  notion  of  Constanti- 
nople than  they  have  hitherto  had,  and  be  induced,  by  my 
statement  of  expenses,  and  other  practical  matters  in  the 
Appendix,  to  make  the  tour ;  or  that,  haply  bought  at  Malta, 
its  perusal  may  beguile  one  or  two  of  the  hot  lazy  hours  on 
the  Levantine  steamers,  is  the  extent  of  my  ambition  with 
respect  to  the  book  now  before  them. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAQI 

THE  DEPARTUKE  FROM  MALTA, 9 


CHAPTER   II. 

ON  BOARD  THE  SCAMANDRE, 16 

CHAPTER   III. 

ATHENS  IN  SIX   HOURS, 23 

CHAPTER   IV. 

SMYRNA, SO 

CHAPTER   V. 

THE  FIRST  DAY  AT   CONSTANTINOPLE, 41 

CHAPTER   VI. 

AN    EASTERN  BATH.— THE  FIRES  AT  PERA, 65 

CHAPTER  VII. 

A   LEITEB  OF  INTRODUCTION. —THE  CIRCUS, W 


CONTEXTS.  VII 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

PACK 

THE  GUN-FACTORY.  — THE  MINT.  —  STAMPA'S  SHOP, 80 

CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  SERAGLIO  AND  THE  MOSQUES, 85 

CHAPTER   X. 

THE  SULTAN'S  VISIT  TO  MOSQUE.  —  THE  DANCING  DER\TSHES,    ....    90 

CHAPTER   XI. 

THE  LETTER  OF  INTRODUCTION  AGAIN.  —  A  PARTY  AT  PERA, 97 

CHAPTER   XII. 

THE  BOSPHORUS, 101 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE  SLAVE    MARKET, HI 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

A  RIDE  ROUND  STAMBOUL, 115 

CHAPTER   XV. 

THE  HOWLING   DERVISHES.  —  ROBBERY  OF  TRAVELLERS, 121 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

BUYUKDERE, , 12T 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

PRINCE'S  ISLAND,  AND  ITS  POPULAR  AMUSEMENTS, 132 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

BAZAARS  GENERALLY.  — A  CAMEL  RIDE.- A  BOAT-BUILDER, 142 


Tin  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
shi:rapia  and  belqrade, 147 

CHAPTER  XX. 

DEPABTUBE  FOE  EGYPT, 153 


APPENDIX. 

PRACTICAL  DETAILS  OP  THE  EXPENSES,  ROUTES,  AND  OTHER  MATTERS 
CONNECTED  WITH  THE  TOUR, 173 


A  MONTH  AT  COTs^STANTINOPLE 


CHxiPTER  I. 

THE  DEPARTURE  FROII  MALTA. 


T  six  o'clock,  P.  M.,  on  Saturday,  Au- 
gust 25th,  1849,  the  French  Med- 
iterranean mail  steamer,  Scaniandrc, 
left  ^Falta  liarhor  for  Constantinople  ; 
after  tlie  proper  amount  of  swearing, 
screaming,  rusliing  about  without  a 
~~^'  purpose,  and  general  confusion,  whieli 

characterizes   every   species   of  action  in  -which    more    than   one 
Frenchman    chances   to   bo    engaged       Lost    my    readers    should 
1 


10  A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLK. 

imagine  that  I  took  the  usual  bustle  attendant  upon  a  vessel's 
departure  for  something  more  than  common,  the  question  put  to 
the  crow  generally  by  an  impertinent  English  sailor,  (who  was 
rowing  from  the  Terrible  to  the  Mai-ina  (jute,)  of  "Why  don't 
you  make  a  noise  V"  may  prove,  however,  indistinctly,  that  the 
uproar  was  beyond  what  he  considered  absolutely  necessary. 

Although  I  had  rested  but  a  very  short  time  at  ]Malta,  I  left  it 
with  as  much  regret  as  though  it  had  been  a  second  home.  For, 
after  a  troublesome  journey  through  Baden,  Lombard}',  tlie  lloman 
States,  and  Naples,  at  an  especially  troublesome  epoch,  subjected, 
besides,  to  every  annoyance  and  imposition  that  police,  passports, 
and  political  quarantines  could  inflict  on  a  traveller,  the  feeling 
was  one  of  great  comfort  to  catch  the  first  sight  of  an  English 
soldier  on  guard ;  to  walk  under  a  gateway  with  the  familiar  lion 
and  unicorn  —  fighting  for  the  crown,  as  of  old  —  boldly  carved 
above  it ;  to  see  well-known  names  over  the  shops  in  every  direc- 
tion; and  to  take  half-crowns  and  half-pence  in  change,  in  as 
matter  of  fact  a  manner  as  though  the  shops  had  been  in  Oxford 
street.  Above  all,  it  was  pleasant  to  hear  "  God  save  the 
Queen"  played  by  English  drums  and  fifes,  calling  up  the  echoes 
from  the  glowing  rocks  of  our  far-off  Mediterranean  island. 

There  was  enough  to  interest  one,  before  the  steamer  started, 
in  the  coup  d^ceil  of  the  harbor  —  the  noble  ships  of  the  line,  and 
steam  frigates,  lying  lazily  at  anchor ;  tlic  impregnable  fortifica- 
tions ;  the  clean  stone  houses,  dazzling  in  sharp  outlines  in  the 
clear  briglit  air;  and  the  odd  mixture  of  all  sorts  of  costumes 
from  every  corner  of  the  Mediterranean,  between  Gibraltar  and 
Beyrout.  Besides  this,  tliere  were  two  or  three  ])artics  of  dirty 
urchins  —  cousins  Maltese  of  the  boys  who  seek  for  lialfpence  in 
the  mud  of  Greenwich  and  Blackwall  —  who  came  up  in  singu- 
larly fragile  boats,  and  petitioned  for  })icccs  of  money  to  be  thrown 
into  the  harbor,  that  they  might  dive  after  them.  One  of  these 
littlo  fellows  was  suf&ciently  clever  to  attract  general  attention. 


A   MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOPLE.  11 

His  head  was  shaved  all  but  a  comical  tuft  over  his  forehead, 
giving  him  the  appearance,  in  his  party-colored  calerons,  of  a 
small  unpainted  clown.  When  the  piece  of  money  was  thrown 
into  the  water  and  had  sunk  for  a  few  seconds,  he  leapt  in,  feet 
first,  after  it,  and  he  was  never  long  in  reappearing  at  the  surface, 
holding  it  up  in  his  hand,  always  overtaking  it  before  it  had 
reached  the  bottom.  These  lads  were  succeeded  by  a  floating 
band  of  music,  the  members  of  which  playeu  the  Marseillaise 
and  the  Girondins'  Hymn,  out  of  compliment  to  the  French 
steamer.  But  a  shilling  brought  them  round  in  an  instant  to 
our  National  Anthem,  and  llule  Britannia ;  and  as  we  left  the 
port  we  heard  the  last  chords,  inappropriately  enough,  of  "  Home, 
sweet  home."  They  had  evidently  got  up  the  latter  to  excite  the 
people  on  their  way  home  from  India,  in  the  quarantine  harbor, 
but  had  immature  notions  of  its  application. 

For  the  last  month  the  Mediterranean  had  been  as  calm  as  a 
lake  —  much  more  so,  indeed,  than  that  of  Geneva  under  certain 
winds  —  and  the  fine  weather  promised  to  continue.  This  was 
fortunate  for  several  reasons ;  the  chief  one  being  that  the  Scam- 
andre  was  a  very  old  boat,  not  calculated  to  encounter  heavy  seas ; 
and,  in  fact,  was  said  to  be  making  her  last  voyage  before  condem- 
nation to  short  coasting  or  river  service.  With  great  exertion  she 
could  be  propelled  at  the  rate  of  something  under  eight  knots  an 
hour ;  but  the  engineer  respected  the  age  of  her  machinery,  and 
did  not  tax  its  powers.  She  was  also  very  dirty,  and  the  crew  did 
their  best  to  keep  her  in  countenance ;  at  the  same  time,  there 
were  few  places  on  deck  to  sit  down  upon,  except  such  accommo- 
dation as  the  coils  of  rope,  water-barrels  and  chicken  coojjs  af- 
forded. 

It  is  far  from  my  intention,  however,  in  thus  speaking  of  the 
old  Scamandre,  to  run  down  the  admirable  service  of  French  mail 
steamers  plying  between  Marseilles  and  the  Levant  generally. 
On  the  contrary,  their  extreme  punctuality,  their  moderate  fares. 


12  A   MONTH    AT    CONSTANTINOPLE. 

and  their  excellent  arrangements,  entitle  them  to  the  attention 
of  all  tourists  to  whom  time  and  money  are  objects.  There  is 
as  little  distinction  observable  between  the  appointments  of  their 
first  and  second  class  pa.sscngers,  as  on  the  foreign  railways ;  and 
as  there  is,  on  the  other  hand,  a  great  difference  in  the  price, 
and  no  servants,  nor  persons  considered  by  the  administration 
to  be  in  any  way  unfit  society  for  educated  and  well-bred  people, 
are  admitted  into  tuc  cabin,  this  part  of  the  boat  is  the  most  exten- 
sively patronized.  We  mustered  about  twenty  passengers,  and 
the  first-class  cabin  had  not  above  four  or  five,  who  looked  so  dull 
and  lonely,  that  we  quite  commiserated  them.  Indeed,  one  of 
them  —  a  good-tempered  American  —  preferred  now  and  then 
coming  to  dine  with  us,  "  to  know  what  was  going  on,"  as  he  said. 
There  were  two  other  classes  still.  The  third,  who  had  a  species 
of  cabin,  still  fore,  to  retire  to  at  night ;  and  the  fourth,  who 
bivouacked  upon  deck.  And  very  pleasant  was  even  this  last  way 
of  travelling.  I  had  come  down  a  deck  passenger  from  Genoa 
to  Leghorn ;  from  Leghorn  to  Civita  Vecchia ;  and  from  Naples 
to  Malta,  with  a  knapsack  (which  comprised  all  my  luggage,  and 
which  I  had  carried  many  times  across  the  Alps)  for  my  pillow ; 
and  I  had  learned  to  sleep  as  soundly  upon  planks  as  upon 
feathers.  In  the  mild,  warm  niglits  no  l)e(l-clothes  were  required  ; 
and  in  the  finest  palace  in  tlie  world  there  was  no  such  ceiling  to 
a  sleeping  chamber  as  the  deep  bine  heaven  afforded,  spangled 
with  its  myriads*  of  golden  stars,  which  gleamed  and  twinkled 
with  a  lustre  unknown  to  us  in  northern  Enghmd. 

As  we  left  !Malta,  the  passengers  all  sat  down  to  dinner ;  and 
for  the  first  time  we  saw  our  companions  for  the  next  week.  To 
begin  with,  there  were  three  very  pretty  French  girls.  Two  of 
these  were  cousins  —  Mademoiselle  A^irginie,  and  3Iademoiselle 
Pauline,  and  they  said  they  were  going  out  to  Bucliarest  as  gov- 
ernesses ;  but  we  subsequently  discovered  that  they  were  milliners, 
from  the  quantity  of  finery  they  got  rid  of  at  Smyrna.  The  third, 
who  was  from  Marseilles,  had  large  dark  eyes,  and  long  black 


A   MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOPLE.  13 

lashes,  with  a  tinged  cheek  that  suggested  Andalusian  blood. 
She  was  travelling  with  her  brother,  and  another  Frenchman,  to 
whom  she  was  engaged  ;  both  these  being  employed  in  commerce 
at  Marseilles.  They  had  large  beards,  were  great  republicans, 
and  kept  very  much  to  themselves  and  their  cigarettes.  There 
was  also  a  French  lady,  of  a  tolerably  certain  age,  who  had  been  in 
London,  and  somewhat  astonished  me  at  first  with  her  intimate 
knowledge  of  all  the  leading  town  circles.  She  was  too  well  edu- 
cated for  a  lady's  maid,  and  yet  wanted  the  repose  of  perfect  good 
breeding;  so  that  I  was  much  puzzled  to  place  her,  until  one 
evening  she  told  me  that  she  had  been  two  seasons,  several  years 
ago,  in  the  company  of  French  actors  at  the  St.  James'  Theatre. 
We  had  an  Englishman,  who  was  on  a  speculating  expedition  to 
see  if  he  could  get  some  muskets  into  Hungary ;  he  was  also  a 
great  phrenologist,  and,  generally,  a  thinking,  determined  man. 
A  young  Irishman,  who  had  thrown  up  his  commission  in  a  line 
regiment,  and  was  going  to  join  the  insurgents  in  the  above-named 
country,  not  having  yet  heard  of  their  betrayal  and  dispersion  ;  the 
amiable  and  intelligent  Greek  professor  of  the  Harvard  University 
in  America,  Mr.  Sophocles,  going  home  to  his  country  after  twenty 
years'  absence ;  and  several  persons  engaged  in  the  Levant  trade, 
whose  race  was  as  difficult  to  be  detected  as  their  exact  occupation 
—  their  language  being  as  consplicated  a  jumble  of  odd  dialects,  as 
their  lugtraoje  was  of  strano-e  bao^s  and  boxes.  So  that,  amono;st 
them  all,  the  conversation  was  tolerably  lively ;  and  when  I  went 
again  upon  deck  after  dinner,  I  found  31alta  fading  away  into  a 
small  blue  hill  upon  tlie  burnished  horizon,  and  felt,  for  the  first 
time,  fairly  off,  on  my  journey  to  the  Levant. 

The  violet  liglit  lingered  in  the  clear  sky,  high  up  above  the 
east,  long  after  the  brilliant  glow  of  sunset  had  died  away  behind 
the  deep  purple  bars  that  flocked  it  as  it  disappeared.  Then,  one 
by  one,  the  golden  stars  came  out,  and  the  bright  crescent  moon, 
looking  like  a  symbol  of  the  new  land  to  which  we  were  now  hast- 
ening, was  mirrored  quivering  in  the  sea,  which  scarcely  rippled  in 
1* 


14  A    MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOl'LK. 

the  light  evening  breeze  that  swept  over  it.  It  was  long,  however, 
before  the  last  gleam  of  light  left  ihe  horizon,  and  I  leant  over  the 
trembling  stern  of  the  old  Scamandre,  watching  its  gradual 
departure  with  a  feeling  of  pleasure  in  gazing  on  what  I  fancied 
might  be  the  direction  of  England,  which  those  only  can  appre- 
ciate, who,  at  a  distance  from  home,  have  recalled  its  dear  faces 
around  them. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ox  BOARD  THE  SCAMANDKE. 

The  cabin  assigned  to  us  was  a  small  closet  off  the  chief  one, 
containing  ten  berths,  with  a  space  of  floor  about  seven  feet  by 
five,  which  they  surrounded.  We  were  quite  full,  and  when  each 
passenger  had  brought  in  his  carpet-bag  or  hat-bos  —  and  one 
light-hearted  foreigner  appeared  to  bo  travelling  from  Marseilles  to 
Smyrna  with  no  more  luggage  than  the  latter  contained  —  there 
was  little  room  to  turn  round ;  indeed,  that  cruel  feat  with  a  cat, 
traditionally  performed  to  determine  habitable  space,  was  here 
practically  impossible.  So  we  were  obliged  to  go  to  bed  and  get 
up  one  at  a  time ;  and,  when  undressed,  we  had  to  pack  our 
clothes  up  at  our  feet  as  well  as  we  could,  only  to  find  that  they 
had  all  got  down  into  the  depths  of  the  mattresses,  and  underneath 
them  even,  by  the  morning.  We  were  fortunate,  however,  in 
having  a  species  of  stout  cucumber  frame  for  a  skylight,  which 
could  be  lifted  right  away;  and,  but  for  this,  there  is  no  telling 
how  any  one  of  us  might  have  survived  asphyxiation  to  recount  our 
voyage  ;  for  having  crept  on  to  my  shelf,  which  was  one  of  the 
lower  ones,  about  ten  o'clock,  with  a  very  stout  Armenian  above 
me,  who  weighed  so  heavily  on  his  sacking,  that  I  was  constantly 
knocking  my  head  against  it  whenever  I  moved,  I  could  not 
very  readily  get  to  sleep.  The  night  was  uncommonly  sultry, 
even  for  the  parallel  of  Malta,  and  I  could  not  shake  off  a  horrible 
impression  that  the  stout  Armenian  would  break  through  his 
sacking,  and  smother  me  at  some  remote  period  of  the  night,     I 


16  A    MONTH    AT    CONSTANTINOPLE. 

could  not  got  the  fearful  story  I  once  read,  of  a  man  who  was  in  a 
prison  that  got  smaller  every  day  until  ii^crushed  liiin,  out  of  my 
head;  and  this  suflocating  notion  followed  mo  into  a  troubled 
doze;  so  that  when  I  awoke  about  twelve,  almost  stifled  by  the 
heat,  and,  looking  uj),  saw  the  skylight  aljovc-mentioned,  with  the 
stars  shining  througli  the  ();)enlng,  I  had  some  ha/y  impression  that 
this  was  the  last  window  of  the  six  that  had  disappeared,  one  by 
one,  and  day  by  "day,  in  the  story  alluded  to.  In  an  agony  of 
terror,  such  as  I  had  never  liufore  experienced,  I  scrambletl  from 
my  berth,  and,  springing  on  a  ])ortmanteau,  contrived  to  raise  my- 
self through  the  hatchway,  and  got  a  little  breath  of  such  air  as 
was  stirring.  On  the  foreigners  the  close  and  stifling  heat 
appeared  to  make  but  a  small  impression.  Not  only  had  some  of 
them  gone  to  bed  Avith  the  greater  part  of  their  clothes  on,  but  one 
or  two  had  even  drawn  closely  together  the  blue  curtains  that  ran 
on  rods  along  the  top  of  the  berths,  and  so  almost  hermetically 
closed  themselves  up,  to  stew  and  swelter,  as  is  their  wont  in  dili- 
gences, steamers,  and  even  rooms  of  hotels,  or  anywhere,  in  fact, 
"wherever  an  opportunity  can  be  found  of  excluding  such  fresh  air 
as  might  otherwise  intrude. '  To  me  the  sensation  was  so  indescrib- 
ably distressing,  that  I  shuffled  on  some  clothes,  and,  ])ulling 
myself  up  through  tlie  opening,  once  more  laid  down  upon  the 
deck,  amidst  a  dozen  fourth-class  passengers,  scarcely  disturbed  by 
the  occasional  visits  of  an  enormous  rat,  who  was  scullling  about, 
picking  up  such  few  scraps  as  had  fallen  from  the  deck  suppers. 
Here  I  remained  initil  six  in  the  morning,  when  I  went  below  for 
my  toilet.  The  four  ladies  had  a  cabin  opposite  to  ours,  and 
about  the  same  size,  but  it  had  no  hatchway.  There  was  only  a 
thick  plate  of  ground  glass  to  light  it,  and  they  had  opened  the 
door  into  tlie  saloon  for  as  much  ventilation  as  they  could  get. 
They  appeared  to  care  but  little  about  privacy  —  air  was  evidently 
the  chief  consideration;  so  that,  as  it  happened,  a  man  might 
have  looked  u{)on  far  more  disagreeable  objects  than  the  dark-eyed 
Marseillaise,  as  she  was  lying  in  her  berth  and  fanning  hers.-'f, 


A   MONTH   AT    CONSTANTIXOPLE.  17 

yrith  her  black  hair  floating  about  her  pillow,  and  —  if  such  may 
be  mentioned  —  half-uncovered  shoulders.  She  did  not  appear  to 
think  anything  of  the  display,  nor  indeed  did  anybody  else  —  her 
fiance  and  her  brother  included,  with  the  latter  of  whom  she  kept 
conversing  all  the  time  he  was  dressing. 

I  should  be  very  sorry  to  class  foreigners  generally  as"  a  dirty 
set  of  people  when  left  to  themselves,  but  I  fear  there  is  too  much 
reason  to  suppose  that  (in  how  many  cases  out  of  ten  I  will 
refrain  from  saying)  a  disrelish  for  a  good,  honest  plunging  wash  is 
one  of  their  chief  attributes.  It  requires  but  very  little  experi- 
ence, in  even  their  best  hotels,  to  come  to  this  conclusion.  I  do 
not  mean  in  those  houses  where  an  influx  of  English  has  imposed 
the  necessity  of  providing  large  jugs,  baths,  and  basins ;  but  iu 
the  equally  leading  establishments  —  patronized  chiefly  by  them- 
selves—  in  these,  one  still  perceives  the  little .  pie-dish  and  milk- 
jug,  the  scanty  doily-looking  towel,  and  the  absence  of  a  soap 
dish ;  whilst  it  would  be  perfectly  futile  to  ask  for  anything 
further.  So,  on  board  the  Scamandre,  this  opinion  was  not 
weakened.  They  dipped  a  corner  of  a  little  towel,  not  in  the 
basin,  but  in  the  stream  that  trickled  from  the  cistern  as  slowly  as 
vinegar  from  any  oyster-shop  cruet,  and  dabbed  their  face  about 
with  it.  Then  they  messed  about  a  little  with  their  hands ;  and 
then,  having  given  a  long  time  to  brushing  their  hair,  they  had  a 
ci^^arette  instead  of  a  tooth-brush,  and  their  toilet  was  complete. 
This  description  does  not  only  apply  to  the  Scamandre  passen- 
gers, but  to  the  majority  of  their  race,  whom  I  afterwards  encoun- 
tered about  the  Mediterranean. 

There  was  such  a  terrible  noise  still  upon  deck  —  such  hauling 
about  of  huge  chains  and  dashing  them  down,  as  though  theatrical 
gaolers  were  constantly  making  tlieir  entrances  or  exits  —  such 
renewed  squabbling,  and  stamping,  and  screaming,  and  useless 
covering  up  and  darkening  of  hatchways,  —  that  I  was  glad  to  get 
back  upon  deck,  along  which  the  rising  sun  came  right  from  the 
bowsprit,  to  tell  us  again  that  we  were  at  last  going  towards  the 


18  A   MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOPLE,  t 

East.  And  here  it  would  have  been  more  to  our  comfort,  if  the 
sailors  had  transferred  to  themselves  some  of  the  pains  they  took 
to  wash  the  decks.  The  engine  pumped  up  the  water  into  a 
tub,  and  this  they  dashed  about  in  the  most  reckless  manner ;  now 
flooding  you  away  froni  the  seat  you  had  picked  out  upon  a  coil 
of  ropes ;  now  almost  washing  the  scared  poultry  clean  out  of  their 
coops ;  and  at  last  not  leaving  a  spot  so  big  as  a  foot-print  to  stand 
upon.  So  that,  when  the  ladies  were  dressed,  we  were  not  sorry 
to  go  down  to  breakfast,  at  three  bells  —  which  (as  everybody  will 
say  they  knew)  is  the  nautical  for  half-past  nine ;  and  here  a  very 
good  meal  of  omelettes,  tish,  cutlets,  potatoes,  fruit,  and  wine, 
awaited  us. 

On  board  ship,  breakfast  or  dinner  is  made  to  last  as  long  as 
possible  —  there  is  so  little  to  occupy  the  rest  of  the  time ;  so  that 
we  did  not  complain  of  being  kept  waiting  between  the  courses, 
but  clutched  eagerly  at  any  subject  of  general  conversation  that 
was  started.  There  was  no  lack  of  this  amongst  the  French,  at 
their  end  of  the  table ;  but  it  was  astonishing  to  analyze  it,  and 
see  what  trivial  subjects  occupied  them.  Those  accustomed  to  the 
clatter  of  a  table  d'hote  must  frequently  have  observed  the  same 
thing.  In  the  present  case,  one  of  the  party  occupied  the  attention 
of  the  entire  table  for  ten  minutes,  with  an  anecdote  which  he 
prefaced  by  saying,  "7/  m'cst  arrirt  quelqiie  chose  de  Men  singulier 
quand  fetais  a  Sinijrnc  j)our  la  demure  Jois ;'"  and  then 
recounted  his  story  at  length,  of  which,  in  all  honest  truth,  the 
following  was  the  essence  :  —  that  he  had  been  going  by  a  shop, 
and  seen  a  large  fish  exposed  for  sale  ;  and  that,  the  same  morning, 
he  called  upon  a  friend  at  breakfast-time,  and  saw  a  piece  of  the 
same  sort  of  tish  on  the  table.  This  was  all ;  but  one  would  have 
thought,  from  his  energy  and  excitement,  that  a  matter  of  the 
deepest  importance  was  connected  with  t1ie  occurrence,  as  he 
struck  the  table  so  vlf)lently,  to  enforce;  its  singularity,  that  the 
glasses  jumped  about.  But  his  audience  appeared  amazingly 
astonished  at  the  event,  and   said,   "2'iV/is.'"    ''Dicuf"    and 


A   MONTU   AT    CONSTANTINOPLE.  19 

"  Vbila,  ce  qii'est  charmant ! '^  with  the  liveliest  enthusiasm. 
Encouraged  by  this,  he  next  called  the  attention  of  the  company 
to  a  peach  that  he  had  cut  through,  stone  and  all,  as  another 
affair  "  tres  sincfuliere."  There  was  no  telling  what  other  matters 
of  interest  he  might  have  touched  upon,  had  not  our'  phrenologist 
turned  the  conversation  by  observing  that  the  bust  of  Lycurgus,  in 
the  Royal  Academy,  at  Naples,  was  the  image  of  Mazzini ;  where- 
upon everybody  went  off  at  once  about  Rome  and  the  Pope, 
Hungary,  Louis  Napoleon,  Garibaldi,  Russia,  and  the  state  of 
Venice,  in  such  full  cry,  that  it  is  a  wonder  how  their  mouths  found 
opportunities  to  finish  breakfast.  It  was,  however,  over  at  last, 
and  then  we  all  went  upon  deck,  beneath  an  awning,  to  read, 
work,  or  smoke,  until  the  heat  was  so  intense  that  we  could  do 
nothing  but  lie'  down,  completely  overcome,  in  our  berths,  until 
dinner.  This  meal  was  a  superior  edition  of  breakfast ;  and  when 
it  was  over  we  went  on  deck  again.  The  crew  were  lying  lazily 
about,  playing  at  cards  and  dominoes;  and  a  young  Maltese, 
whom  I  found  out  to  be  the  first  flute  in  the  orchestra  of  the 
Italian  Opera  at  Constantinople,  played  several  popular  airs  from 
Norma  and  Lucrezia  Borgia.  He  was  a  nice,  intelligent  fellow, 
and  had  established  himself  in  a  boat,  upon  deck,  where  he  had 
his  mattress  and  baggage,  with  a  species  of  "bachelor's  kitchen," 
in  which  he  made  coffee  and  soup,  cooked  fish,  boiled  eggs,  and 
concocted  all  sorts  of  dishes.  As  night  came  on,  the  fourth-class 
passengers  arranged  their  different  bivouacs  —  under  the  bulwarks, 
alongside  of  the  guns,  and  about.  One  group  was  especially 
effective.  A  young  Greek  girl,  her  brother,  and  a  little  child  in 
their  charge  —  all  from  Tunis,  and  on  their  way  to  Athens  —  took 
up  their  position  under  the  capstan,  and  looked  so  well  —  the  man 
in  his  Albanian  costume,  and  the  girl  in  her  petticoat,  (for  her 
night  toilet  only  consisted  in  taking  off  her  gown,)  — that  I  did  my 
best  to  make  a  sketch  of  them,  which  a  more  able  hand  has  put 
on  the  wood.  Gavarni  himself  could  not  have  sui-prised  some 
wearied  masqueraders  in  a  better  pose.     As  soon  as  it  became 


20 


A   MONTH    AT    CONSTANTINOPLE. 


tolerable  dusky,   the  fowls   and  ducks  were  assassinated  by  the 
light  of  a  lantern  at  the  side  of  the  paddle-box,  for  the  morrow's 


consumption  ;  and,  later,  a  sheep  shared  the  same  fate.  Then,  one 
by  one,  the  passengers  of  the  cabins  crept  below ;  but  the  heat 
was  still  so  far  beyond  anything  possible  to  be  conceived,  that  I 
got  my  knapsack,  as  before,  and  laid  myself  down  again  upon  the 
deck,  where  I  was  soon  f;ist  asloop,  being  followed  in  my  example 
by  one  or  two  more  of  my  gasping  fellow-travellers.  This  night  I 
am  not  aware  that  the  large  rat  paid  us  a  visit ;  he  was  possibly 
attracted  by  the  results  of  the  fowl-murders  on  the  other  side 
of  the  boat.  Anyhow,  I  slept  undisturbed  until  after  four  in  the 
morning. 

The  progress  of  the  next  day  presented  little  variety.  AYe  still 
had  nothing  but  blue  sky  and  sea  to  look  upon,  when  we  sought 
distraction  beyond  the  bulwarks  of  the  steamer.  Mademoiselle 
Virginie  was  studying  navigation  with  the  Commissaire,  in  his 
cabin ;  she  was  there  nearly  all  day.  Pauline  was  incessantly 
employed  upon  a   piece   of  crochet-work,   which   lasted  all  the 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  21 

journey,  and  got  very  .dirty  towards  the  end  of  it — being  one  of 
those  fearfully  uncomfortable  things  called  anti-macassars,  which 
hang  on  the  backs  of  chairs,  to  make  your  hair  rough  and  tumble 
over  your  head.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  caught 
sight  of  Greece  —  high  up  over  the  larboard  bow ;  and  at  dinner- 
time a  pretty  stiff  breeze  came  on,  and  the  boat  began  to  ride, 
which  had  the  admirable  effect  of  keeping  the  foreigners  rather 
more  quiet  at  table ;  indeed,  one  or  two  left  it.  At  dusk,  we 
passed  Cerigo,  one  of-  our  English  possessions  —  a  melancholy, 
reddish-rock  island.  It  was  difficult  to  conceive  a  more  dreaiy 
time  than  the  officer  must  have  had  of  it  who  was  stationed  there 
with  his  handful  of  troops.  I  longed  to  have  seen  some  small 
boat,  by  which  I  could  have  sent  him  a  bundle  of  GaUgnanis, 
and  a  few  numbers  of  Punch,  that  we  had  on  board.  Then  the 
little  concert  on  deck  began  again  —  the  opera  airs  bringing  up 
thoughts  of  Grisij  and  Covent  Garden,  and  the  London  season, 
here,  out  and  away,  at  one  of  the  gates  of  the  Archipelago ;  and 
tiien,  at  nine  o'clock,  we  all  began  to  think  of  retiring.     I  did 


not  try  the  berths  again;  but  the  Maltese  lent  me  a  coat,  and 
lying  down  on  this,  with  my  knapsack,  as  before,  for  a  pillow,  I 
was  soon  comfortably  curled  up  with  my  own  thoughts.  I  was, 
however,  obliged  to  silence  two  runaway  patriots  from  some  of  the 
Italian  States,  who  had  been  arguing  loudly  for  an  hour  upon  the 
2 


22  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

affairs  of  Rome,  without  any  chance,  of  approaching  a  conclusion. 
When  this  was  done,  and  the  usual  quantity  of  fowls  had  been 
killed,  as  on  the  preceding  night,  everything  became  quiet,  and  I 
was  soon  wandering  in  the  world  of  dreams. 


CHAPTER   m. 

ATHENS  IN   SIX   HOUKS. 

On  getting  up  at  six,  in  the  morning  of  the  28tli,  we  found  land 
about  us  in  all  directions.  Passing  the  islands  of  Poros  and 
Egina —  the  former- possessing  a  fine  arsenal,  with  every  capability 
for  building  hirge  ships  on  English  principles,  if  the  money  could 
but  be  found ;  and  the  latter,  the  remains  of  a  noble  temple  —  on. 
our  left,  and  Sunium  on  our  right,  we  came  to  anchor  in  the 
Piraius  about  half  past  nine. 

It  was  here  that  I  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  the  first  Levant- 
ine fancy  costumes,  that  attract  the  traveller's  attention  —  the  real 
well-known  bright  Albanian  dress  of  the  masquerades  and  panoramic 
paper-hangings,  to  say  nothing  of  Madame  Tussaud's  Byron.  One 
after  another,  picturesque  fellows,  in  clean  white  kilts,  so  to  speak, 
and  scarlet  leggings,  shot  off  from  the  shore  in  light  boats,  which 
they  rowed  admirably,  having  adopted  our  own  fashion  from  the 
people  of  the  Ionian  Islands.  As  soon  as  they  had  surrounded 
the  bottom  of  the  steamer's  ladder,  they  commenced  fighting  in  a 
most  furious  manner  to  get  the  best  position ;  banging  each  other 
with  boat-hooks  and  large  sticks,  which  they  had  evidently  brought 
with  them  for  the  nonce,  and  climbing  up  the  sides  of  the  packet, 
like  cats.  In  vain  the  crew  of  the  Scamandre  repulsed  them  — 
brushing  them  back  into  the  swarm  of  boats,  to  get  freshly  beaten 
by  their  fellows  on  whom  they  tumbled  —  they  were  up  again 
like  wasps,  in  an  instant ;  and  the  passengers  had  enough  to  do  to 


24  A   MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOPLE. 

avoid  being  involved  in  the  battle,  which  continued  even  on  deck, 
amongst  the  hotel  touters. 

"I  say,  sir!  here,  sir!  Hotel  d'Orient  is  the  best.  Here's 
the  card,  sir  —  old  palace  —  Murray  says  ver  good,"  cried  one  of 
the  costumes. 

"Hi!"  screamed  another;  "don't  go  with  him,  master  —  too 
dear !     Come  with  me !  " 

The  parties  were  immediately  engaged  in  single  combat. 

"  Hotel  d'Angleterre  a  Athenes,  tenu  par  IClias  Polichrono- 
pulos  et  Yani  Adamopulos,"  shouted  another,  all  in  a  breath ;  I 
copy  the  names  from  the  card  ho  gave  me,  for  they  were  such  as 
no  one  could  remember. 

"Yes,  sir;  good  hotel,"  said  his  companion.  "Look  in 
Murray,  sir  —  page  24  —  there,  sir:  here,  sir:  look,  sir!  " 

"  Who  believes  Murray?  "  asked  a  fellow  in  plain  clothes,  with 
a  strong  Irish  accent. 

"  You  would,  if  he  put  down  your  house  in  the  handbook," 
replied  another. 

They  all  appeared  to  have,  more  or  less,  a  knowledge  of 
English* 

At  length,  by  dint  of  great  strength  of  mind,  combined  with 
physical  force,  a  few  of  us  got  into  a  boat,  (having  been  told  that 
the  packet  would  wait  until  next  morning  in  the  liarbor,)  and  we 
were  soon  standing  on  the  quay  of  the  Pimous,  the  town  being  a 
collection  of  small,  newly-built  houses,  consisting  chiefly  of  mer- 
chants' stores,  customs  establishments,  and  agents'  ofiiccs,  with 
some  inferior  cafes,  on  one  of  which  was  written  "  Grogs-sliop,"  in- 
tended, I  suppose,  as  a  translation  of  the  more  classical  OhnrrajXtov, 
on  the  other  shutter.  A  nominal  examination  of  the  luggage  of 
such  of  the  passengers  as  were  going  to  land  took  place  on  the 
quay,  and  every  one  was  then  allowed  to  go  where  lie  pleased. 
Just  then,  a  good-looking  fellow  in  an  Albanian  dress,  stepped  up 
to  our  pai-ty  and  proffered  his  services  as  guide,  for  the  day,  to 
Athens.     His  name  was  Demetri  Pomoni;   he   spoke  excellent 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  25 

English,  and  told  us  "that  he  was  a  subject  of  Queen  Victoria; 
that  he  had  lived  in  London,  and  that  we  should  find  his  name  in 
the  eternal  IMurray,  page  25."  Tliey  had  all  got  their  position  by 
heart.  We  engaged  Demetri  for  the  day,  and,  hiring  a  shabby 
hack  carriage,  from  a  cluster  of  regular  country  railway  flies, 
drawn  up,  in  cab-stand  rank,  upon  the  port,  we  started  off  at  a 
dismal  pace  for  Athens,  distant  about  five  miles. 

It  was  very  hot,  and  the  road  was  very  dusty — indeed,  the 
whole  country  about  appeared  parched  up  to  the  last  degree 
of  drouglit.  We  put  up  the  windows,  but  the  dust  still  got  in, 
and,  before  long,  our  beards  assumed  a  most  venerable  appearance. 
We  stopped  to  bait  at  a  little  wine-shed,  half-way  on  the  road, 
where  there  was  a  well,  and  where  one  or  two  Albanians,  lounging 
about  under  a  rude  trellis  of  grapes,  made  an  effective  "bit." 
Here  we  had  some  iced  lemonade,  which  appeared  to  be  all  the 
establishment  afforded,  with  some  lumps  of  Turkish  sweetmeat; 
and  then  we  dragged  on  again  for  another  half-hour,  in  the  heat 
and  dust,  until  we  were  deposited  at  the  door  of  the  Hotel 
d'Orient  —  a  fine  house,  furnished  in  the  English  fashion,  and 
formerly  a  palace,  as  the  touter  had  informed  us.  Demetri  now 
told  us  that  he  let  horses,  with  English  saddles,  to  travellers ;  and 
that,  if  we  v/ished  to  see  all  the  "lions,"  we  must  hire  some, 
otherwise  there  would  not  be  time  to  do  so.  So  we  had  up  some 
stumbling  ponies  from  the  town,  for  which  we  were  to  pay  a  dollar 
each ;  and  then  started  to  visit  the  wonders,  and  be  back  to 
dinner  by  five  o'clock. 

"  Athens  in  sis  hours"  is  rather  quick  work  to  be  sure ;  how- 
ever, after  I  had  been  taken  the  round  of  the  usual  sijrhts,  I 
should  have  been  sorry  to  have  remained  there  much  longer.  But 
the  exceeding  beauty  of  the  ruins  can  scarcely  be  overpraised ; 
albeit,  the  degree  of  erfthusiasm,  real  or  conventional,  with  which 
one  regards  them,  must  depend  entirely  upon  such  early  classical 
training  as  the  traveller  may  have  been  fortunate  enough  to  have 
undergone.  Yet  I  doubt  whether  I  could  have  gazed  upon  those 
2* 


26  A   MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOPLE. 

graceful  remains  with  greater  delight  than  I  did  on  this  occasion, 
had  I  gone  through  any  further  preparation  to  visit  them,  than  had 
been  afforded  by  an  ordinary  public  school  education.  Apart 
from  their  histories  and  their  associations  —  their  lovely  symmetry, 
the  effect  of  their  clean  sandstone  color  against  the  bright  blue 
sky,  their  admirable  position,  and  the  horizon  of  finely  swelling 
purple  hills  almost  surrounding  them,  broken  to  the  south-west  by 
the  silver  harbor  of  the  Pirajus,  were  quite  sufiicient  to  call  up  the 
most  vivid  sensations  of  delight.  Their  beauty,  also,  was  enhanced 
by  the  picturesque  people  who  idled  about  them  —  all  was  so 
artistic,  so  sunny,  so  admirably  thrown  together,  that  whichever 
way  the  eye  was  turned,  it  appeared  to  rest  on  the  reality  of 
some  exquisite  drop-scene. 

Guardians  are  stationed  where  there  is  anything  to  knock  off 
and  carry  away  more  portable  than  the  Elgin  marbles.  The  inte- 
rior of  the  temple  of  Theseus  is  used  as  a  museum ;  and  the  frag- 
ments are  of  greater  interest,  even  to  the  most  ordinary  traveller, 
than  such  as  he  may  elsewhere  encounter.  Here  we  m«de  a 
luncheon  from  some  singularly  fine  grapes  and  frosli  figs,  with 
bread,  spread  on  part  of  a  column,  and  then  proceeded  to  the 
Acropolis,  which  Demetri  had  properly  kept  for  the  last  visit. 
From  hence  the  view  was  most  superb,  but  it  wanted  the  relief  of 
green.  Everything,  for  miles  round,  was  baked  up.  The  channel 
of  the  Ilyssus  was  without  water,  and  the  barley  which  covers  the 
undulating  ground  liad  all  been  cut,  leaving  only  tlic  naked  liot 
reddish  tracts  of  land.  The  guardians  had  a  sort  of  habitation 
below  the  Propykca,  and  cultivated  a  few  vcgeta])les  in  small 
artificial  gardens,  the  leaves  of  whieli  looked  quite  refreshing. 
Amongst  the  masses  of  marble  ruins  which  tlic  Turks  liad  tumbled 
down  from  the  Parthenon,  to  make  cannon-balls  from,  or  grind  up 
for  mortar,  several  wild  plants  trailed  and  flourislied.  One  of 
these  bore  a  green  fruit,  which,  being  ripe,  burst  into  dust  the 
instant  it  was   touched,   however  gently,   by  the  foot;   and  the 


A   MONTH    AT    CONSTANTIXOPLE.  27 


guides  appeared  more  anxious  to  call  the  attention  of  the  visitors  to 
this  fact,  than  to  the  solemn  glories  of  the  Acropolis. 

As  we,  were  standing  before  the  Erectheum,  Demetri  said, 
"When  I  was  iu  London,  sir,  I  lived  in  P^uston  Square;  and  I 
used  often  to  look  at  the  Cai-jatides,  at  the  side  of  St.  Pancras 
Church,  and  think  of  this  temple."  It  must  have  been  a  strong 
home  feeling  that  called  up  associations  of  Athens  and  the  Acrop- 
olis, amidst  the  mud,  stunted  shrubs,  metropolitan  atmosphere,  and 
omnibuses  of  the  Xew  Koad  ! 

We  had  killed  all  our  lions  by  five  o'clock ;  and,  by  making  all 
use  of  our  eyes  and  tongues,  had  become  as  well  acquainted  with 
the  positions  and  appearance  of  the  Tower  of  the  Winds,  and  the 
Arch  of  Hadrian ;  the  Areopagus  and  polished  Anti-Malthusian 
slope ;  the  Stadium,  and  the  prison  of  Socrates,  as  Demetri 
himself.  Our  horses,  too,  were  tolerably  weary;  and  so  we 
returned  to  the  hotel  through  Athens,  which  is  as  dirty,  irregu- 
lar, uninteresting  a  place  as  can  well  be  imagined.  An  enormous 
village  is  a  better  name  for  it  than  an  insignificant  city. 

The  dinner,  to  which  six  or  eight  of  us  sat  down,  was  perfectly 
English.  We  had  the  luxuries  of  anchovy  and  cayenne  with  our 
fish,  Harvey's  sauce  with  our  steaks,  and  a  bottle  of  pale  ale  was 
gravely  put  down  before  me  and  my  compatriots.  Our  plates  and 
dishes  had  a  British  name  on  their  backs,  and  our  knives  were  ac- 
credited by  "  Deanc,  3Ionument  Yard."  One  only  comprehends 
to  the  full,  under  similar  circumstances,  the  extent  of  business  per- 
taining to  certain  of  our  London  houses.  The  traveller's  story  of 
the  English-built  omnibus  running  from  the  city  to  the  Parthenon, 
with  the  cad,  named  Themistocles,  crying,  "  'Cropolis,  'E.ec- 
theum  !  "  and  of  the  placard  of  Warren's  Blacking,  posted  on  the 
temple  of  Victory  Apteros,  may  prove  a  truth  yet. 

I  strolled  through  some  of  the  streets  after  dinner,  and  my 
companion,  who  was  a  smoker,  was  delighted  at  the  quantity  of 
latakia  he  could  purchase  for  a  few  pence.  Some  people  came  up 
and  oflfered  curiosities  for  sale :  these  chiefly  consisted  of  chaplets 


28  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

of  shells  from  the  Archipelago,  made  up  with  little  glass  beads, 
and  walking-sticks  and  pipe-tubes  of  Parnassus  Blackthorn. 

Possibly  the  most  novel  feature  of  my  stroll  was  the  lettering  on 
the  shops,  &c.,  everywhere  in  the  familiar  Greek  character,  hith- 
erto only  associated  with  my  Merchant  Tailor's  School  knowledge 
of  the  Diatessaron,  Isocrates,  and  the  Iliad,  but  now  used  to 
betoken  the  store  of  the  baker,  the  coffee-house  keeper,  and  the 
bookseller.  At  one  of  tlie  latter  establishments  I  bought  a  child's 
first  primer,  for  twenty-five  lepta  —  about  twopence-halfpenny. 
The  curiosity  of  seeing  little  urchins,  who  can  scarcely  speak, 
puzzling  out  their  Greek  characters,  must  be  as  great  as  that 
which  everybody  experiences  and  notices  upon  first  landing  in 
France,  on  hearing  the  children  squabbling  in  that  language.  It 
may  not  be  out  of  place  to  give  a  page  of  the  book  I  purchased  :  — 


AA^ABHT.4PI0K. 

nAiA 

jrsiriAz. 

^a 

ye 

drj 

:o, 

Ov 

av 

Xe 

fia 

^0 

nij 

gu 

(ps 

xt 

IfJV 

TO 

X" 

(pu 

ve 

^» 

xa 

not 

Is 

/'"? 

C« 

Xiyu) 

<f)iQU) 

X'^!'" 

J'f  go*' 

Tjjro* 

lycH 

ydlu 

v,ni)(n 

yiuQi 

/aqd 

X<(^i' 

jiitfi 

•^i)i'rj 

x6q,i 

'i/M 

ljii]l'M 

Tl'gi 

yuiu 

'O  (lurrri;:  (lumft. — 'O  if'wucig  tvuurn. — '0  "HXto?  (piyyu. —  O  xrlnTtjc: 
xiilii.  —  'O^iuijfii  iaifti. —  O  x/'uni(s  xl'univii. — '  O  i;t  rrog  jnt/ti. — '  H 
(JeAoii;  xtvTil. —  O  axi'Xii:  <^iiyy..yfi. — '  O  i'lnxD-:  iony.fi. — To  Tiatdior  jiai- 
Lti, '  II  yuoi;  ji»','/fi. T>i   )f;i')i    /I'lfiui. 11  .lilnu  jil.iTti, 

The  streets  became  more  striking  as  tiif  warm  twilight  crept 
over  them,  and  the  people  turned  out  to  walk  in  great  numbers,  or 
Bat  at  their  doors.     The  Albanian  and  the  Turkish  costumes,  or 


A   MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOPLE.  29 

mixtures  of  each,  were  those  generally  worn ;  that  is  to  say,  by 
the  men  —  those  of  the  women  betraying  little  variety  of  taste. 
All  the  former  were  smoking ;  the  narrow"  thoroughfares  were 
foggy  with  tobacco ;  and  clouds  poured  forth  from  the  windows 
of  the  cufes,  whilst  the  customers  were  mostly  eating  quince 
ices  —  very  large  and  cheap,  but  not  particularly  nice.  A 
great  number  of  fugitives  from  Rome  were  clustered  about,  and 
their  pallid  faces  wore  a  sadly  anxious  and  jaded  look.  The 
Greek  government  allowed  these  poor  fellows  lodging  in  some 
barracks,  and  about  fourpence  a  day  for  their  keep. 

Our  carriage  of  the  morning  took  us  back  to  the  Piraeus  about 
half-past  nine.  The  night  was  most  lovely,  and  the  solemn  effect 
of  the  Acropolis  in  the  clear  moonlight,  with  Hymettus  in  the 
distance,  more  impressive  than  anything  I  had  ever  seen.  Every- 
thing was  still  along  the  road,  except  at  the  half'way  shed,  where 
the  same  people  appeared  to  have  been  lounging  about  since  the 
morning.  The  water  in  the  harbor  was  like  glass,  and  the  air  so 
transparent,  that  the  sharp  outline  of  the  vessels  lying  even  at  a 
considerable  distance,  was  most  remarkable.  Amongst  these  was 
H.  M.  S.  Sharpshooter,  which  will  perhaps  account  for  my 
hearing  the  air  of  "  Jim  Crow  "  played  on  a  violin  in  the  "  grogs- 
shop."  But  beyond  this  absurdity,  nothing  broke  the  silence, 
and,  before  the  quivering  ripples  that  our  boat  produced  had  quite 
died  away,  I  had  gone  down  to  my  berth  for  the  first  time  —  the 
temperature  being  considerably  lower  than  before  ;  and,  very  tired 
with  the  day's  work,  soon  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


^T  five  o'clock  the  next  morning,  the  29th,  all  the  old  noise 
began  again  —  the  same  frightful  riot,  clanking  of  chains,  bawling 
and  stamping  overhead,  that  appeared  necessary  to  move  the 
steamer  —  in  the  middle  of  which  they  shut  down  our  hatchway, 
and  threw  a  tarpaulin  over  it,  which  brought  me  from  my  berth  in 
an  instant. 

I  found  we  had  taken  in  several  deck  passengers  —  chiefly 
Greeks.  An  Albanian  family  had  encamped  in  the  flat-boat  upon 
deck.  There  was  a  young  man  and  his  wife,  her  brother,  a 
very  old  woman,  and  a  baby ;  and  they  had  made  a  perfect  nest 
of  bedding,  carpets,  and  baggage,  in  which  they  all  huddled. 
There  was  a  look  of  extreme  misery  and  brok(^  spirit  about  these 
poor  people  that  was  excessively  painful.  They  did  not  appear  to 
have  anything  more  than  a  melon  or  two,  and  some  coarse  bread, 
for  their  stores ;  and  they  drank  the  tepid  water  from  a  tub  on 
deck.  Our  little  milliners  took  the  baby  under  their  care  in  the 
cabin,  for  which  the  mother  —  a  mere  girl  herself — was  most 
grateful.  The  conveyance  was  effected  entirely  by  pantomime, 
for  each  was  ignorant  of  the  other's  language,  and  very  prettily  it 
was  done.  The  family  was  bound  to  Smyrna,  to  pack  figs  —  a 
"veretched  employment  enough,  I  should  imagine,  but  one  which 
appeared  to  be  worth  the  migration.  The  girl's  head  was  dressed  in 
the  manner  I  had  seen  most  prevalent  at  Athens.  First,  she  wore 
the  conunon  scarlet  skull-cap,  bound  round  with  a  yellow  handker- 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


81 


chief.  Over  this,  again,  her  long  black  hair  was  wound,  neatly 
plaited ;  and  about  it,  but  irregularly,  were  hung  a  few  trifling 
coins,  with  holes  bored  in  them.  The  effect  altogether  was  novel 
and  graceful. 

Our  course  lay  amongst  many  islands,  none  of  them  striking ; 
and,  indeed,  some  were  bare  stony  hills,  rising  at  once  from  tho 
sea.  We  could  only  read  to  get  through  the  day,  for  it  was  again 
too  hot  to  talk,  and  no  particularly  exciting  events  occurred.  The 
cabin-boy,  to  be  sure,  was  found  out  in  telling  stories,  and  sen- 
tenced to  have  his  hair  cut  close  to  his  head,  for  a  punishment, 
which  was  done  by  an  amateur  hand,  in  a  fashion  the  most  extraor- 
dinary ;  and  the  cook,  who  had  been  six  years  with  Cavaignac, 
and  three  with  Changarnier,  in  Africa,  had  a  row  with  the  corn- 
missaire,  or  purser,  because  the  passengers  had  complained  of  his 
fricassee  de  poulet  that  morning,  suggesting  that  it  was  made  from 
the  results  of  the  preceding  chief  cabin  dinner ;  and  would  not 
stand  any  more  omelettes.  'So  he  promised  that  special  fowls 
should  be  reserved  for  the  next  dish,  and  that  an  artful  compound 
of  eggs  and  onions,  which  he  termed  ceufs  a  la  tripe,  should  super- 
sede the  omelettes ;  and  thus  harmony  was  restored,  and  the  day 
wore  lazily  on.  Virginie  and  Pauline  dressed  and  undressed  the 
baby  every  half-hour,  and  made  it  a  little  coat,  amidst  a  pitiless 
storm  of  badinage.  The  ^Marseilles  brunette  was  lost  in  a  volume 
of  Alfred  de  Mussel's  poetry.  I  did*  not  see  what  she  was 
reading,  but  if  congeniality  had  led  her  to  reflect  upon  the  Anda- 
louse,  her  thoughts  must  have  been  more  or  less  remarkable. 
Our  phrenologist  had  fixed  the  American  to  a  game  of  chess, 
played  upon  a  little  portable  board,  with  card  men  that  slipped 
into  the  squares,  and  were  difl[icult  to  be  distinguished ;  and  tho 
rest  of  thsi  folks  sent  the  winged  moments  flying  upon  wreaths  of 
cigar  smoke,  as  they  re-read  old  newspapers,  or  lay  down  in  their 
berths.  However,  night  came  at  last ;  and  when  we  awoke  the 
next  morning  at  daybreak,  we  were  informed  that  we  were  ap- 
proaching Smyrna. 


32 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


It  was  very  pleasant  to  hear  this  —  to  be  told  that  the  land  I  saw 
close  to  us  was  Asia,  and  that  the  distant  slender  spires  that 
rose  from  the  thickly  clustered  houses  were  minarets  —  that  I 
should  have  twelve  hours  to  go  on  shore,  and  see  real  camels,  fig- 
trees,  scheiks,  and  veiled  women !  And  yet  I  could  scarcely 
persuade  myself  that  such  was  the  case :  that  the  distant  Smyrna 
—  of  which  I  had  only  heard,  in  the  Levant  mail,  as  a  remote 
place,  burnt  down  once  a  year,  where  figs  came  from  —  was 
actually  within  a  good  stone's  throw  of  the  steamer.  When  the 
engines  stopped,  the  boat  was  surrounded  witli  light  caiques,  con- 
taining now  all  Turks,  who  clustered  round  the  ladder  in  the  usual 
fashion ;  but  they  were  more  quiet  and  grave  than  the  intruders  of 
the  Pir;\3us.  Some  were  custom-house  officials,  others  brought  off 
fresh  fruits,  others  meat,  and  some  of  tlio  boats  only  held  solemn 
old  gentlemen  of  the  real  rhubarb-selling  race,  whose  object  was 
merely  curiosity,  and  a  more  perfect  enjoyment  of  their  pipes. 

After  breakfast,  at  which  we  had  one  of  the  most  delicious 


A   MONTU   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  S3 

melons  I  ever  tasted,  with  a  very  thin,  smooth,  green  rind,  and 
white  inside,  bought  from  the  boats,  a  valet  de  place  was  selected, 
and  we  went  on  shore ;  entering  the  city  from  the  port,  along 
which  the  flags  of  the  different  consuls  were  hoisted,  by  an  arched 
way.  Of  course  the  bazaars  were  the  first  attraction ;  as  a  matter 
of  course,  our  dragoman  led  us  to  them.  And  very  novel  and 
striking  was  the  introduction  to  them.  The  shops,  which  were  all 
open,  were  built  of  wood,  on  stone  or  brick  basements,  like  t!io 
barraques  one  may  see  nearer  home,  at  Boulogne  Fair.  Thoy 
could  be  shut  in  by  one  enormous  shutter,  folding  down  from 
above,  which,  when  folded  up,  formed  a  sort  of  pent-house ;  so 
that,  as  the  thoroughfare  was  very  narrow,  there  was  not  a  space 
of  above  three  or  four  feet  between  one  of  these  and  its  opposite 
fellow.  This  was  covered  in  by  very  light,  thin  boards,  almost 
like  hurdles,  and  occasionally  large  pieces  of  canvas,  or,  what  was 
very  picturesque,  a  thick-leaved  vine,  to  keep  out  the  sun.  The 
floors  of  these  shops  were  raised  between  two  and  three  feet  from 
the  ground.  On  this  a  carpet  was  spread  —  usually  one  of  the 
Turkish  hearth-rugs  we  are  familiar  witli  in  England ;  and  here  the 
master  sat  with  his  pipe,  suiTOunded  by  his  wares. 

Apart  from  the  party-colored  and  changing  crowd  which  filled 
the  thoroughfare,  I  was  most  struck  with  the  wares  exposed  for 
sale  —  calling  up  the  renewed  indefinable  feeling  of  pleasure  at 
seeing  things  laid  out  to  be  bought  at  ordinary  common-place 
prices,  which  we  only  knew  at  home  as  the  products  of  long  mys- 
terious voyages  from  other  quarters  of  the  globe.  Here,  were 
huge  morsels  of  the  "  best  Turkey  sponge,"  redolent  of  ocean 
depths,  and  heavy  with  the  sea-sand  that  still  filled  theu-  pores : 
there,  were  baskets  of  yellow  rhubarb,  cakes  of  aromatic  opium, 
and  bags  of  fresh  clammy  dates,  ready  to  burst  with  their  very 
sweetness.  Then  we  came  to  a  perfumer's,  wliere  the  otto  of  roses 
scented  the  air  all  round,  even  from  its  little  thick  gilded  bottle?^, 
with  their  small  rescrvou'  of  essence ;  where  the  musk  purses  and 
tablets  also  contributed  their  odor,  and  the  rosaries  hung  about  had 


34  A   MONTH    AT   CON'STANTINOPLE. 

tljt'jr  beads  turned  from  dark  and  fraGp'ant  aloes-wood.  Anon 
were  beautiful  anus  from  Damascus  —  aral)es(jued  and  glittering 
blades,  with  jewelled  handles  and  velvet-colored  sheaths,  —  curi- 
ous and  elaborately  mounted  pistols,  an<l  strangely-picturesque 
fire-arms,  amongst  which  might  lKi[)ly  be  seen,  as  the  greatcs* 
curiosity  of  all,  to  the  vender,  a  double-barrelled  percussion  gun, 
from  Birmingham.  Then  came  rich  carpets,  and  quilted  coats  of 
silk,  scarlet  caps,  and  costly  ])ipes  of  every  shape  and  fabric ;  and 
then  a  seller  of  sherbet  —  real  Eastern  sherbet  —  at  something 
more  than  a  half-penny  a  cup ;  or  a  dresser  of  kebobs,  and  pillaff, 
plying  his  trade  in  the  very  centre  of  the  above-named  rarities. 

In  themselves,  the  shops  most  striking  at  first  sight,  were  those 
for  selling  glass  lamps,  such  as  were  hung  in  the  mosques  and 
Greek  churches ;  and  slippers,  of  every  bright  color,  worked  with 
thread  of  gold  and  silver.  I  have  spoken  of  the  gay  crowds  who 
jostled  one  another  through  the  bazaars.  Every  passenger  ap- 
peared to  wear  a  fresh  costume.  Turks,  Albanians,  Persians, 
Egyptians,  and  Circassians,  —  merchants,  scheiks,  dervishes,  slaves, 
and  water-sellers,  —  with  every  variety  of  head-dress,  from  the 
simple  scarlet  fez,  to  the  tall  black  sheei>skin  cap,  or  the  huge 
white  or  green  turban,  that  looked  several  stories  high,  and  might 
have  served  for  tlie  owner's  store-room,  —  were  jumbled  up  together 
in  a  strange  kaleidoscope,  as  bewildering  as  it  was  attractive. 
One  wanted  several  eyes  to  watch  all  that  was  going  on  at  once; 
and  when  a  jangling  train  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  camels  came 
blundering  along  the  passage,  the  two  sides  of  wliich  they  almost 
swept  with  their  packages,  the  deliglit  of  all  (air  party  was  complete. 
Everything  was  so  bright,  so  novel  ;  everything  so  much  n)0re 
than  realized  our  expectations,  —  not  a  very  common  occurrence 
with  travellers,  —  tliat  I  do  not  believe,  (lirougliout  the  future 
journey,  any  impres.^ions  were  conveyed  more  vivid  than  those  wo 
experienced  during  our  first  half  hour  in  tlie  bazaars  of  the  sunny, 
bustling,  beauty-teeming  Smyrna. 

The  appearance  of  our  guide  put  all  the  merchants  on  the  alert 


A    MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  35 

One  handsome,  merry-faced  fellow  accosted  me  in  excellent  Eng- 
lish, as  follows  :  — 

"How  d'ye  do,  sir:  very  wellV  that's  right.  Look  here,  sir; 
beautiful  musk  purse  ;  very  fine  smell.     Ten  piastres." 

(A  piastre  is  worth  two  pence  and  a  fraction.) 

"  How  did  you  learn  to  speak  English  so  well  ?  "  I  asked. 

"All  English  gentlemen  come  to  me,  sir,"  he  said,  "and  I 
learn  it  from  the  ships,  and  from  the  xVmericaus.  Shake  hands, 
sir:  that's  right.     Buy  the  purse,  sir." 

"  How  much  is  it  ?  "  asked  one  of  our  party. 

"  Six  piastres,"  replied  the  brother  of  the  merchant,  who  alsv 
Bpoke  English,  but  had  not  heard  the  first  price. 

"  And  you  a.sked  me  ten  I  "  I  said  to  the  other. 

"  So  I  did,  sir,"  he  replied,  with  a  laugh ;  "  then  if  I  get  tht. 
other  four,  that 's  my  profit.  But  what 's  four  piastres  to  an 
English  gentleman?  —  nothing.  It's  too  little  for  him  to  know 
about.     Come  —  buy  the  purse.     What  will  you  give?  " 

"  Five  piastres,"  I  answered. 

"It  is  yours,"  he  answered,  directly,  throwing  it  to  me. 

"  AVhat  a  merry  fellow  you  are  !  "   I  observed. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  I  laugh  always  :  very  good  to  laugh.  English  gen- 
tlemen like  to  laugh,  I  know  :  laugh  very  well.  Look  at  his 
turban  —  laugh  at  that !  " 

He  directed  our  attention  to  an  old  Turk,  who  was  going  by, 
with  a  most  ludicrous  and  towering  head-dress.  It  was  diverting 
to  find  him  making  fun  of  his  compatriot. 

"  Good-by,  sir,"  he  said;  "come  and  see  me  when  you  come 
back,  and  buy  some  figs  for  London.  Good  figs,  sir.  3Ir.  Mille 
knows  me  at  the  hotel,  and  3Ir.  Hanson  knows  me  :  everybody 
knows  me.     Good  voyage,  sir." 

As  we  left  the  bazaar,  one  of  our  companions  had  a  letter  to 
deliver  to  a  merchant;  and,  whilst  waiting  for  liim  in  the  court 
of  the  house,  I  saw  nearly  two  hundred  people  packing  figs  in 
drums,  for  the  English  market.     This  court  was  at  the  end  of  a 


36  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

long  alley  of  acacia  and  fig  trees,  under  the  shade  of  which  the 
packers  took  their  seats.  They  first  carried  them  from  the  ware- 
houses, on  the  floor  of  which  I  saw  hundreds  of  bushels,  brought 
in  on  camels,  from  the  country.  They  were  then  pulled  into  shape 
—  this  task  being  confided  to  females ;  and,  after  that,  sent  on  to 
the  men  who  packed  them.  They  gathered  six  or  seven,  one 
after  the  other,  in  their  hand ;  and  then  wedged  them  into  the 
drum,  putting  a  few  superior  ones  on  the  top,  as  we  have  seen 
done  with  strawberries.  Each  packer  had  a  basin  of,  I  believe, 
sea  water  at  his  side,  with  some  leaves  floating  in  it.  When  the 
dram  was  fall,  three  or  four  of  these  leaves  were  placed  on  the  top, 
and  a  little  boy  took  it  away  to  be  fastened  up.  A  man  gave  me 
some  of  the  figs  to  eat :  they  were  between  ripe  and  dry,  and  had 
none  of  the  saccharine  efflorescence  about  them  that  we  see  on 
our  dessert  figs,  in  England.  The  people  at  work  were  Greeks ; 
and  the  girls  were  mostly  very  handsome. 

The  next  scene  of  interest  we  arrived  at  was  a  large  enclosure, 
with  a  fountain  in  the  centre,  which  appeared  to  be  the  rendezvous 
of  all  the  caravan  camels.  They  were  there  by  hundreds  —  not 
brothers  to  the  broken-spirited,  mangy,  solitary  animal,  who  whilome 
went  about  our  English  villages  with  a  monkey  and  a  dancing  bear  ; 
nor  relations  to  that  consumptive,  dull-eyed,  ragged  beast,  whom  I 
remember  to  have  seen  in  every  procession  at  Astloy's,  of  every 
locality  where  a  camel  could  not  have  been  supposed,  by  any  outlay 
of  the  treasures  he  carried  on  his  back,  or  facility  of  land  or  water 
communication,  to  have  possibly  arrived  —  I  would  not  swear  that 
he  was  not  introduced  into  the  Jidttle  of  Waterloo,  and  Muzeppa  — 
but  rugged,  noisy,  muscular  brutes,  not  moving  out  of  tlio  way  for 
anybody,  and  sufficiently  independent  and  obstinate,  when  they 
chose,  to  knock  over  all  sympathy  with  their  popularly-acknowl- 
edged patient  and  enduring  cliaracter.  For  your  camel  is  a  great 
obtaincr  of  pity,  under  false  pretences.  He  can  be  as  self-willed 
and  vicious  as  you  please;  and  his  bite  is  particularly  severe. 
When  once  his  powerful  teeth  have  fastened,  it  is  with  the  greatest 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  37 

difficulty  that  he  is  forced  to  relinquish  his  hold.  The  pitiful 
noise,  too,  which  he  makes  on  being  over-laden,  is  all  sham,  as 
email  natural  historians  remark.  It  proceeds  from  sheer  idleness, 
rather  than  a  sense  of  oppression.  With  many  camels,  if  you 
make  pretence  to  put  a  small  object  on  their  backs  —  a  tile,  or  a 
stone,  for  instance  —  whilst  they  are  kneeling  down,  they  begin 
mechanically  to  bellow,  and  blink  their  eyes,  and  assume  such  a 
dismal  appearance  of  suffering  and  anguish,  that  it  is  perfectly 
painful  for  susceptible  natures  to  regard  them.  And  yet,  when 
their  load  is  well  distributed  and  packed,  they  can  move  along 
under  seven  hundred  weight. 

Of  the  camels  we  saw  in  this  square,  some  were  being  unpacked, 
others  had  just  arrived  from  the  interior,  and  others  were  kneeling 
down  to  have  their  new  burthens  adjusted,  moaning  most  griev- 
ously the  whole  time.  The  loads  were  built  up  very  high,  and 
fastened  to  their  backs  with  a  contrivance  like  an  enormous 
clothes-peg.  This  rude  harness  was,  for  the  most  part,  adorned 
with  shells,  worsted  tufts,  and  other  finery  —  the  object  of  this 
being  to  divert  the  glance  of  the  Edl  Eye  —  and  each  carried  an 
ill-toned  bell.  Their  riders  either  vaulted  across  their  backs  as 
they  knelt  down,  or  sprang  up  by  putting  the  left  foot  in  the  bend 
of  their  powerful  necks,  and  so  climbing  on  to  the  hump,  as  they 
were  going  on.  When  there,  they  twisted  their  legs  round  a 
species  of  pummel,  rising  from  what  cannot  be  termed  a  saddle, 
and  then  went  on  their  way,  guiding  the  animal  by  hitting  him 
with  a  stick  on  the  side  of  the  head  opposite  to  that  direction  which 
they  wished  him  to  take. 

Our  guide  did  not  have  much  of  a  sinecure  this  day.  From  tlio 
camelry  we  went  on  to  a  mosque  —  a  small  edition  of  St.  Sophia, 
to  be  spoken  of  hereafter.  No  firman  was  requisite  to  enter.  A 
few  piastres  dispelled  all  Mahommedan  prejudices,  and  allowed  the 
feet  of  the  Giaour  to  press  the  sacred  matting :  but  we  were 
obliged  to  take  off  our  shoes,  and  leave  them  at  the  door.  This 
edifice  was  not  very  striking.  The  chief  decorations,  consisting  of 
3* 


38  A   MONTn   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

cominon  glass  lumpp,  ostrich  eggs,  and  horsc-liair  swislics,  were  of  a 
trumpery  cliaracter.  One  old  gontleinan,  in  a  liugo  wliite  turban, 
was  droning  out  some  verses  of  the  Koran,  on  a  raised  platform, 
and  an  idiot  was  curled  up  in  a  corner;  these,  with  om*  party, 
coiiTjjrised  the  congregation.  Wo  next  went  on  to  the  Slave 
I\Iarket,  which  was  held  in  a  hot  court-j'ard,  with  a  trsH'  in  the 
centre.  Two  black  men,  a  black  woman  witli  a  liaby,  and  a  littlo 
boy  were  its  only  occupants ;  and  they  had  squatted  down 
together  in  the  fierce  sun,  until  their  brains  must  almost  havo 
dried  up  and  rattled,  like  nuts,  in  their  skull.;.  The  men  grinned 
at  us  and  lield  out  their  hand.s  for  money ;  the  woman  took  no 
notice,  but  continued  unconcernedly  nursing  her  baby  ;  and  the 
Ijoy  nestled  in  the  dust,  and  played  with  it.  There  was  nothing  to 
excite  compassion ;  in  fact,  the  Slave  ^Market  was  }ironounced  a 
failure.  One  of  our  companiim.s  tried  to  got  up  a  little  virtuous 
indignation,  and  beiran  to  talk  about  the  dccfraded  condition  of 
human  beings,  with  other  ]v\eter-IIall  conventionalities ;  but  he 
could  not  excite  the  sympathies  of  the  party,  and  the  American 
having  made  a  daring  observation  to  the  effect  that  if  ho  saw  one 
of  these  slaves  and  an  elephant,  side  by  side,  he  should  think  the 
latter  the  more  intelligent  of  the  two,  we  all  hurried  out  to  stop  the 
argument  which  was  evidently  impending. 

From  the  Slave  3Iarket  avo  were  taken  a  long,  hot,  up-hill  walk, 
to  the  ruins  of  the  castle  on  ^biunt  Pagas,  from  which  the  view, 
line  as  it  was,  hardly  compensated  for  the  trouble.  Thence 
descending,  and  passing  some  cemeteries  and  public  fountains,  we 
came  to  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  which  consist  chiefly  of  gardens,  pro- 
ducing olives,  oranges,  raisins,  and  iigs,  irrigated  by  creaking  water- 
wheels,  worked  by  donkeys.  At  one  of  thes(>  T  saw  a  droll  con- 
t  ivance.  The  donkej',  who  went  runnd  and  roun:!,  was  blinded, 
and  in  fi<>nt  of  him  was  a  pole,  one  end  nf  \v!ni-!i  w.is  fixed  to  the 
axle,  and  the  other  slightly  drawn  toward^  hi~  h.Md-L^.-.ir,  and  there 
tied  ;  so  that,  from  the  spring,  he  always  thoiiuiit  somebody  was 
nullinir   him   (jii.     The    ;i;uide    told    me    that    idle    fellows   would 


A    MONTH    AT    COXSTANTIXOPLK. 


39 


contrive  some  rude  mechanism,  so  that  a  stick  should  fall  upon  the 
hind-quarters  of  the  animal  at  every  round,  and  so  keep  him  to 
his  work,  whilst  they  went  to  sleep  under  the  trees. 


"We  returned  to  the  port  through  the  Armenian  quarter  of  the 
town,  where  tlie  houses  are  European  in  their  style,  and  well  built. 
At  the  Hotel  des  Deux  Augustes,  we  sat  down  to  a  capital  dinner  ; 
and  afterwards,  in  the  cool  evening,  walked  about  the  Frank 
quarter  of  the  town,  and  were  well  repaid  by  the  sight  of  scores  of 
beautiful  Greek  girls,  sitting  at  their  doors  and  peeping  from  their 
windows,  in  all  the  streets.  An  intelligent  Hungarian,  whom  we 
met  at  the  tahle-dliote ,  accompanied  us.  He  was  evidently  veiy 
jxipular  with  the  fair  Smyrniotcs ;  for  nothing  but  bright  smiles ' 
and  laugliing  eyes  greeted  him  in  every  direction.  Yet  he  knew  his 
value  ;  f(n-  he  told  me  that,  on  a  fair  average,  there  were  fourteen 


40  A    MONTU   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


girls  to  every  eligible  young  man,  in  Smyrna;  whicli  was  a  sad 
prospect,  indeed ! 

At  lengtli  the  time  came  for  us  to  rot'mLark.  "With  the  solemn 
chant  of  the  ^Iiiezziins,  calling  the  faithful  to  pra3-ers  from  the 
Tuinarets,  sounding  over  the  city,  we  bade  good-night  to  Smyrna. 
And  then,  as  I  crept  down  to  our  t)ld  cabin  in  the  Scaniruidre, 
and  that  venerable  boat  once  more  got  into  action,  as  her  joints 
warmed  up,  all  the  events  of  the  day  appeared  like  some  bright 
dream. 

But  the  recollection  of^the  dream  is  still  vivid;  nor  is  it  likely 
soon  to  pass  away. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  FIRST  DAY   AT  COXSTANTIXOPLE. 

I  FOUND,  next  morninij,  wo  had  taken  in  some  more  passengers 
at  Smyrna.  Going  up  upon  ilcck,  I  nearly  tuuililed  over  two  old 
Turks,  who  had  spread  their  carpets  towards  3Iecca,  and  were 
going  through  all  those  curious  perfonn.-uices  which  compose  the 
prayers  of  a  Mussidman.  The  most  difucult  of  these  —  which 
they  achieved  with  wonderful  agility  fur  tv/o  sueli  old  gentlemen  — 
cimsisted  in  falling  suddenly  on  their  faces,  and  then  getting  up 
again,  solely  by  the  agency  of  their  feet  —  a.s  wc  see  boys  do, 
when  their  arms  are  put  back  over  a  stick  to  ])lay  at  cock-fighting, 
which  this  certainly  beat.  Then  they  repeated  it,  and  recovered 
themselves  iu  a  similar  manner,  always  going  through  the  feat 
twice,  and  preluding  it  by  bending  down  their  heads  with  their 
hands  on  their  knees,  as  if  "[oinsr  to  "make  a  back."     Nothinn; 

'DO  O 

put  them  out.  The  sailors  were  hauling  roj^xjs  about  and  arranging 
baggage ;  and  now  and  then  stumbling  against  them,  but  they 
went  through  the  entire  programme  as  composedly  as  if  they  had 
been  cpiite  by  themselves. 

This  day  we  entered  the  Dardanelles,  about  noon,  and  passed  a 
great  many  ships,  of  all  countries  —  more,  indeed,  than  I  have 
seen  at  the  entrance  to  the  Thames  —  beating  up  towards  the  Sea 
of  3Iarmora.  In  two  hours,  wc  anchored  for  a  while  between  the 
two  castles  of  Europe  and  Asia,  to  land  the  mails  and  transact 
other  business,  at  a  dreary  little  town  close  to  the  former  fort, 
known  as  Chanak-Kalcssi  to  the  Turks,  and  as  the  Dardanelles  to 


42 


A    MONTH   AT   C0NSTANTIN0PIJ2. 


US.  Tho  people  jmt  of  in  _boat3,  and  brouglit  rude  pottery  for  sale, 
made  here  to  a  gi-eat  extent.  The  traffic  was  principally  in  tall, 
and  not  ungraceful  water-jugs,  ornamented  with  gold  leaf;  but  I 
bought  a  bottle,  made  like  a  stag,  as  a  present  for  a  friend  — 
cf-rtainly,  the  ugliest  thing  I  ever  saw  in  my  life. 


Wo  had  a  discussion,  whilst  waiting  here,  about  the  story  of 
Hero  and  Leander,  but  no  one  knew  where  to  look  for  Sestos  and 
Abydos;  nor  is  the  course  the  young  lover  took  at  all  decided 
upon.  Lord  Byron  crossed  where  we  were  now  lying.  lie  came 
over  diagonally  with  the  current,  which  made  the  distance  about 
four  English  miles  from  starting  to  landing,  althougli  the  Hellespont 
here  is  not  much  more  than  a  mile  across ;  and  the  distance  was 
accomplished  in  an  hour  and  ten  minutes.  ILid  we  waited  longer, 
I  should  have  trieil  it  myself,  Avith  the  American ;  for  tlierc  did  not 
appear  any  remarkable  difficulty  about  it  —  certainly  nothing  to 
make  its  accomplishment  a  matter  of  record. 

On  starting  again,  we  were  accom])anied  by  a  shoal  of  very 
large  Gsh,  with  sharp  noses  and  fins ;  tliey  kept  up  with  tlio 
steamer  for  a  great  distance,  leaping  about  in  a  curious  fashion, 
and  racing,  as  it  were,  in  pairs,  until  tlicy  all  disappeared  together 
with  a  wliite  gleam,  and  left  us  once  more  (o  our  own  devices. 

Tho  ships  continued  all  along  the  ]^anlancll(.>s,  and  there  was 
very  little  else  to  engage  our  attention,  tlie  low  hills  that  form  tho 


A   MOXTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  43 


coast  on  either  side  being  very  bare  and  monotonous.  Indeed,  if 
a  little  scandal  had  not  been  started  about  Yirginie's  prolonged 
disappearance  after  dinner,  and  subsequent  discovery  in  the  coin- 
missaire's  cabin,  I  do  not  know  how  we  should  have  got  through 
the  evening.  Yet  we  all  sat  on  deck  until  a  late  hour  that 
evening,  for  it  was  the  last  of  our  voyage,  and  the  cool  wind 
coming  down  from  the  Euxine  made  it  very  pleasant. 

At  half  past  seven  the  next  morning,  the  first  of  September,  we 
caught  our  first  sight  of  Constantinople,  with  its  white  buildings 
and  minarets  glittering  in  the  sun,  at  the  extremity  of  the  Sea  of 
Marmora.  I  was  not  sorry  to  find  the  end  of  my  journey  ap- 
proaching ;  and  there  was  something  very  refreshing  in  the  antici- 
pation of  an  Eastern  bath  and  regular  bed-room,  after  the  con- 
tracted arrangements  for  washing,  and  the  crowded  berth-cabin  of 
the  Scamandre.  The  Turks  and  Greeks  bundled  up  their  luggage 
into  bales ;  the  other  passengers  got  anxious  about  their  effects, 
and  kept  hovering  round  the  hold ;  and  the  French  girls  came 
forth  in  their  smartest  toilettes.     Everybody  was  anxious  to  land. 

I  must  confess  that  the  first  view  of  Stamboul,  as  we  neared  that 
part  of  the  city,  certainly  disappointed  me.  I  had  heard  and  read 
such  extraordinary  accounts  of  the  beauty  of  the  covp-d'ceil,  and 
my  expectations  had  been  raised  to  such  an  absurd  height,  that, 
although  I  knew  I  was  staring  hai"d  at  the  Mosque  of  St.  Sophia, 
and  that  the  dark  cypress  grove  coming  down  to  the  blue  water  before 
us  surrounded  the  Sultan's  hareem,  and  that  this  blue  water  was 
the  Bosphorus,  my  first  exclamation  to  myself  was,  "And  is  this 
all  I  "  But  when  we  rounded  the  Seraglio  Point  and  slowly 
glided  into  the  Golden  Horn,  where  the  whole  gorgeous  panorama 
opened  upon  me  in  its  unequalled  loveliness,  the  feeling  of  wonder 
and  admiration  became  absolutely  oppressive.  I  had  never  been 
so  strangely  moved  before,  but  once  —  when  I  looked  down  upon 
London,  by  night,  from  a  balloon. 

To  speak  of  the  magnificent  domes  and  lofty  minarets  that 
detached  themselves  from  the  amphitheatres  of  buildings  as  we 


44  A  MONTH  AT  CONSTANT!  XOPLK. 


proceeded,  and  stood  in  clear  white  relief  against  the  bright  blue 
sky ;  or  of  the  quaint  houses,  and  intermingled  foliage,  and  grace- 
ful cypress  groves  that  climbed  to  the  very  suramits  of  the  hills, 
and  stretched  far  away  in  the  distance  —  of  the  thousand  ships  that 
the  noble  harbor  brought  alongside  the  very  streets  —  the  fairy 
palaces  commencing  to  border  the  IJosphorus  —  the  light  gilded 
wherries  that  darted  by  in  all  directions,  amidst  the  tame  sea-birds 
who  rode  upon  the  clear  rippling  water  —  the  gaily-colored  crowds 
upon  the  bridge  —  the  vivid  sunlight  —  the  exhilarating  atmos- 
phere—  above  all,  perhaps,  the  sudden  change  from  the  ennui  of 
a  sea-voyage  —  is  only  to  repeat  what  everybody  has  said  who  has 
ever  visited  Constantinople  —  to  anticipate  what  everybody  will 
gay  on  future  arrivals.  And  yet,  perfectly  aware  of  this,  I  cannot 
stay  my  pen  in  an  attempt  to  convey  some  rude  notion  —  to 
produce  some  coarse  rough  sketch  of  the  enchanted  scene  that  sur- 
rounded me.  The  buildings  on  either  side  of  the  (jolden  Horn  — 
for  .so  is  the  harbor  termed,  which  runs  up  between  the  Turkish 
and  Frank  divisions  of  Constantinople  —  these  (piaint,  toj'-box 
houtics  came  to  the  very  water's  edge  ;  .«o  closely,  indeed,  that  the 
lowest  seemed  to  float  on  it.  Tliere  Was  a  light  nnsubstantiality 
aliout  them  —  a  tottering,  half  tumble-down  look,  that  harmo- 
nized admirably  with  the  arcliitecture  of  the  mos(|ues  and  ]iinnacles. 
One  regular,  Thames-side,  eight-storied  warchnuse,  would  have 
spoiled  the  whole  picture.  ]Jehind  us.  at  Scutari,  on  the  Asiatic 
side,  the  ej-e  still  fell  on  minarets,  domes,  and  palaces;  cypress 
groves,  and  leafy  terrace-;,  with  a  background  of  liliu;  hills,  and  the 
picturesijue  little  steeple,  known  as  Lcatidcr's  or  tlie  Maiden's 
Tower,  rising  from  the  bright  sea  in  front.  l''vcry\vhere.  the 
water-side  rows  of  buillings  were  seen  througli  forests  of  ,>-hi]is,  the 
lines  of  whieh  were  agreeably  broken  by  the  slanting  spars  of  the 
felucca-rigged  vessels,  which  formed  the  greater  portion  of  tho.'<e  at 
anchor.  In  the  middle  of  the  stream  wen'  ten  oi'  twelve  noble^ 
men-of-war,  —  the  largest  of  the  Ottoman  navy;  nearer,  was  a" 
fleet  of  steamers,  of  all  sizes,  from  the  fine  boat.s  of  the  I'eninsular 


A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTIN'OPLE.  45 

and  Oriental,  or  Austrian  Lloyd's,  Company,  to  the  little  craft 
that  went  to  Therapia,  or  Prince's  Island,  every  day.  The  port 
was  swarming  with  life ;  the  men  in  the  caiques  were  moving 
about  as  thickly  as  one  has  seen  boats  at  a  rowing  match,  yet  not 
more  than  was  the  ordinary  custom.  Heavy  barges,,  manned  by 
Arabs,  were  being  pulled  up  and  down  the  Golden  Horn.  Light- 
ers, filled  with  melons,  skins,  grain,  and  bales,  were  slowly  nearing 
the  quays ;  and,  where  the  landing-places  were,  there  was  such  a 
jam  of  wherries  —  each  forced,  as  nearly  as  possible,  up  to  the 
stairs  —  that  it  was  marvellous  how  they  were  ever  extricated  with 
their  passengers.  All  was  picturesque  form  and  motion  ;  and  over 
the  entire  view  was  thrown  such  a  glorious  flood  of  sunny  light — 
sparkling  in  the  water,  dazzling  as  it  was  thrown  back  from  the 
minarets,  and  twinkling  on  the  humblest  casements  —  that  for 
once,  and  once  only,  the  realization  of  some  glittering  scene  from 
childhood's  story-book  visions  appeared  to  be  accomplished. 

There  was  very  little  confusion  here  on  disembarking ;  and  no 
serious  fighting  amongst  the  hotel-keepers,  as  at  Athens ;  for  the  pas- 
sengers had  mostly  settled  in  their  own  minds  where  to  go  to,  during 
the  voj'age.  The  good-tempered,  intelligent  Misseri  —  Eotheu's 
Misseri  —  collected  his  intended  inmates  into  a  large  caique  for  the 
Hotel  d' Angleterre ;  and  young  Destuniano  (whose  father  was  for- 
merly the  best  dragoman  at  Constantinople,  and  now  keeps  the 
Hotel  d'Europe)  followed.  I  was  with  the  latter,  being  anxious 
not  to  break  up  a  little  party  we  liad  formed  during  the  voyage. 

As  we  wore  putting  off  from  the  old  Scamandre,  a  gilded  barge 
approached  us,  in  which  were  sitting  two  imposing  Turks,  officers 
of  the  customs.  Their  proper  duty  was  to  examine  our  luggage  ; 
but  a  bril)e  of  three  piastres  —  a  little  more  than  sixpence  for  the 
party  —  satisfied  all  their  scruples.  They  gravely  received  this  ; 
and  then,  not  proud,  saluted  our  party,  and  went  away  to  another 
boat.  I  must  own  my  ears  tingled  when  I  reflected  tliat  my  own 
share  of  a  pecuniary  offering  to  these  noble  and  gorgeous  gentlemen 
had  been  under  a  penny.  But  there  was  little  need  for  delicacy 
4 


46 


A   MOXTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


upon  tho  matter.  It  appears  perfectly  understood  tliat  the  Cus- 
toms at  Constantinople  are  established  for  individual  benefit ;  and 
thus  not  a  dollar  of  any  kind  of  duty  ever  finds  its  way  into  the 
Sultan's  treasury. 

We  landed  at  the  Tophane  stairs,  and  at  once  found  enough  to 
occupy  all  our  attention.  First  of  all,  five  or  six  Turkish  women 
got  out  of  a  boat  just  before  us,  veiled  up  to  their  eyes,  and  looking 
very  like  the  nuns  in  the  incantation  scene  of  llobcrt  the  Devil, 
before  they  throw  off  their  dresses ;  only  these  had  black  skirts. 
Then  there  were  a  great  many  sellers  of  fruit  and  cakes  —  the 
former  consisting  of  grapes,  honestly  and  literally  as  largo  as 
plovers'  eggs,  and  the  latter  of  a  species  of  pancake.  Their  appear- 
ance, with  their  little  tables,  very  like  what  tho  pea-and-tliiinble 
men  used  to  carry  at  the  races,  was  very  novel  and  amusing. 
Directly,  down  came  a  string  of  mules  laden  with  rubliijili  from  the 
buildings  at  Pera ;  and  they  unloaded  themselves  by  going  down 
on  their  haunches,  when  they  reached  the  landing,  and  allowing 
their  panniers  at  one  end  to  slide  off.  Next,  some  sturdy  porters, 
or  Ilamals,  seized  upon  our  luggage.  These 
fellows,  who  were  mostly  past  the  prime  of 
life,  wore  their  knots  half  way  down  their 
backs,  and  appeared  capable  of  carrying  im- 
mense weights,  l^reccdcd  by  thctn,  we  sot 
off,  jostled  by  crowds  in  every  variety  of  strik- 
ing costume,  and  picking  our  way  amongst  the 
half-wild  dogs,  who  lay  al)0ut  the  streets  by 
scores,  and  did  not  get  out  of  the  way  for  any 
one. 

Stambonl  may  be   termed    Constantinople 
proper,  inhabited  by  the  Turks,  and  contain- 
ing the  seraglio,  chief  mos(|ues,  great  public 
offices,  bazaars,  and  places  of  government  and 
It  is  the  most  ancient  and  most  important  part, 
Galata  is  tho  Wapping  of  the  city  :  here  we  find 


general  business. 
par  excellence. 


A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  47 

dirty  shops  for  ships'  stores,  merchants'  counting-houses,  an'l  tipsy 
sailors.  Tophant  is  so  called  from  the  large  gun-factory  close  at 
hand.  Both  these  suburbs  are  situated  at  the  base  of  a  very  steep 
hill ;  the  upper  part  of  which  is  Pera,  the  district  allotted  to  the 
Franks,  or  foreigners,  and  containing  the  palaces  of  the  ambassa- 
dors, the  hotels,  the  European  shops,  and  the  most  motley  popula- 
tion under  the  sun.  Scutari  is  to  Staniboul,  as  Birkenhead  lo 
Liverpool ;  and  is  in  Asia.  It  is  important  in  its  way,  as  being 
the  starting-place  of  all  the  caravans  going  inland.  There  are 
some  other  districts  of  less  interest  to  the  average  tourist. 

As  soon  as  we  left  the  landing-place,  and  entered  the  steep 
lane  that  leads  up  to  Pera,  all  the  enchantment  vanished.  In 
an  instant,  I  felt  that  I  had  been  taken  beliind  the  scenes  of  a 
great  "effect."  The  Constantinople  of  Yauxhall  Gardens,  a  few 
years  ago,  did  not  differ  more,  when  viewed,  in  front  from  the 
gallery,  and  bohind  from  the  dirty  little  alleys  bordering  the 
river.  The  miserable,  narrow,  ill-paved  thoroughfare  did  not 
present  one  redeeming  feature,  —  not  even  picturesque  dreariness. 
The  roadway  was  paved  with  all  sorts  of  ragged  stones,  jammed 
down  together  without  any  regard  to  level  surface  ;  and  encum- 
bered with  dead  rats,  melon-rinds,  dogs,  rags,  brickbats,  and  rul> 
blsh,  that  had  fallen  through  the  mules'  baskets,  as  they  toiled 
along  it.  The  houses  were  of  wood  —  old  and  rotten  ;  and  bear- 
ing traces  of  having  been  once  painted  red.  There  had  been 
evidently  never  any  attempt  made  to  clean  them,  or  their  windows 
or  doorways.  Here  and  there,  where  a  building  had  been  burnt, 
or  had  tumbled  down,  all  the  ruins  remained  as  they  had  fallen. 
Even  the  better  class  of  houses  had  an  uncared-for,  mouldy,  plague- 
imbued,  decaying  look  about  tliein  ;  and  with  their  grimy  lattices, 
instead  of  windows,  on  the  upper  stories,  and  dilapidated  sKutters 
and  doors  on  the  ground  floors,  it  was  difficult  to  imagine  that 
they  were  inhabited  by  people  who  had  such  notions,  according  to 
report,  of  home  and  cleanliness,  that  they  never  souglit  fur  society 
apart  from  their  own  divans,  or  harems,  and  never  were  fit  for 


48  A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

prayers  until  they  had,  more  or  less  effectively,  washed  them- 
selves. 

We  found  our  hotel  possessed  the  double  advantage  of  being  a 
stone  building,  and  completely  insulated  —  a  great  comfort  in  so 
combustible  a  district  as  Pera.  I  got  a  good  bedroom,  that  over- 
looked the  Bosphorus,  part  of  the  Golden  Horn,  and  a  few  of  the 
Mosques ;  came  to  an  understanding  about  expenses,  —  which  is 
always  advisable  ;  had  the  inexpressible  comfort  of  wasliing  and 
dressing  in  a  large  well-appointed  room,  after  tlio  conHned  closet 
of  the  Scamandre ;  and  then  we  all  sat  down  to  breakfast, 
learning  that  everything  was  to  be  had  in  Constantinople  but 
fresh  butter.  Some  white  bitter  compound,  perfectly  uneatable, 
was  produced  once  or  twice  during  my  stay ;  l)ut  it  was  so  unpal- 
atable, that  wo  usually  preferred  "  Irish  ;"  and  at  last  came  to  eat, 
with  a  relish,  what  many  of  our  English  servants  would  have 
turned  up  their  noses  at.  The  tea  was  excellent,  and  so  wore  the 
cutlets;  but  there  was  some  wine  on  the  table, —  a  native  produc- 
tion, I  believe,  —  like  very  bad  still  champagne,  sickened  with 
coarse  moist  sugar,  to  which  I  preferred  the  grapes  in  their  natural 
state. 

There  was  the  most  wonderful  waiter  at  this  hotel  tliat  T  ever 
saw  —  a  tall,  thin,  lath-built  fellow,  from  A'cniro,  who  sprang  and 
darted  about  the  saUe-a-manfjer  in  such  an  extraordinary  manner 
—  changing  tlio  dish  of  meat  into  that  of  figs,  with  such  strange 
rapidity;  waiting  upon  twenty  people  at  once  ;  banging  out  at  one 
door,  and  directly  afterwards  in  at  another  (luite  opjiosite,  and 
wearing  such  an  odd,  tight  dress,  that  we  christened  him  Arlcchino. 
lie  poured  out  tea  for  everyl)ody,  ilrevv  a  dozen  corks,  shot  into  the 
kitchen,  came  back  and  said  he  had  thrashed  the  cook,  who  was  a 
Greek,  frightened  two  or  three  guests  of  nervous  filire  .<o,  by  his 
activity,  that  they  were  afraid  to  ask  for  anything  —  in  fact,  did  so 
much  that  I  don't  suppose  anybody  would  have  l)ecn  astonished  to 
have  seen  him  take  a  leaj),  and  disaj>pear  through  the  dial  of  the 
clock,  or  the  centre  of  a  pictm-e,  or   any  other  of  those  strango 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


49 


points  •which  harlequins  generally  select  for  their  sudden  depart- 


Breakfast  over,  by  this  accomplished  fellow's  assistance,  I  pre- 
pared to  go  ft)rth  with  the  impatience  of  feeling  that  the  world  of 
Constantinople  was  all  before  me.  I  found  a  ready  dragoman  in 
the  hall,  —  another  Demetri,  and  a  Greek  also,  as  may  be  sup- 
posed,—  and  with  him  I  started  down  another  steep  hill  towards 
Galata.  This  thorouglifare  was  just  as  narrow  and  dirty  as  the 
former  one ;  but  it  was  bordered  with  shops  kept  by  Italians, 
Greeks  and  Frenchmen.  There  were  many  English  articles  for  sale, 
—  stockings,  cotton  prints,  cutlery  and  blacking.  In  one  window 
was  a  number  of  Punch,  with  one  of  Mr.  Leech's  clever  cuts, 
attracting  the  puzzled  gaze  of  some  Levantines ;  at  a  corner  was  a 
sign-board,  with  "Furnished  Apartments  to  Let,"  painted  on  it; 
and  on  the  wall  of  a  small  burying-ground  a  Turk  sat  with  a  tray 
of  Birmingham  steel  pens  on  cards. 

The  number  of  veiled  women,  straggling  and  shuffling  about, 
in  their  large,  awkward,  yellow  Wellington  boots,  —  for  I  can 
describe  them  in  no  better  fashion,  —  first 
engaged  my  observation.  The  greater  por- 
tion of  them  were  clad  in  a  cumbersome 
wrapper,  or  feri gee,  of  what  appeared  to  be 
coarse  brown  serge,  entirely  concealing  the 
figure.  "When  it  was  drawn  up  a  little,  one 
could  see  the  naked  skin  of  the  leg  just  ap- 
pearing above  the  foot ;  for  socks  and  stock- 
ings are  unknown  to  the  inmates  of  the  ha- 
reems.  They  thrust  thest  odious  boot;^  into 
slipshod  slippers  without  heels  when  they  go 
abroad ;  and  the  difficulty  of  keeping  them  on 
produces  a  most  ungainly,  shuffling,  in-tood 
gait.  The  veil,  or  yashmach,  is  of  one  or  two  pieces,  arranged  as 
shown  in  the  illustration.  It  is  now  made  of  such  fine  material,  — 
a  simple  layer  of  tarlatan  in  most  instances,  —  that  the  features  are 
4* 


^§£i:*— 


50 


A    MONTH    AT   CONSTANTIXOPLH. 


perfectly  discernible  through  it ;  and  the  more  coquettish  beauties 
allow  something  more  than  their  eyes  to  be  seen,  where  it  divides. 
These  last  features  are  wonderfully  fine  —  djirk,  heavy-lashed,  and 
almond-shaped ;  and  they  derive  a  strange  force  of  expression  from 
their  contrast  with  the  veil.  Their  brilliancy  is  aided  by  a  dark 
powder,  introduced  under  the  lid,  which  •  blackens  its  edges.  The 
women  wear  no  gloves,  but  stain  the  ends  of  their  fingers,  and 
palms  of  their  hands,  (as  well  as,  I  believe,  the  soles  of  their  feet,) 
with  a  dye  called  Henna.  This  tinges  them  a  deep  tawny  red, 
and  the  effect  is  most  unseemly,  making  them  anything  but  the 
"rosy-fingered"  beauties  which  some  writers  have  labored  to  pass 
them  off  as.  Their  complexions  are  pallid  and  unhealthy-looking, 
which  may,  in  some  measure,  result  from  want  of  legitimate 
exercise ;  and  they  become  prematurely  aged.  There  is  not,  I 
imagine,  a  more  perfect  representation  of  a  witch  to  be  found,  than 
an  old  Turkish  woman  affords,  when  seen  hobbling,  with  a  long 
staff,  along  tlie  dingy  alleys  of  Constantinople. 

Descending  the  steep  narrow  lane,  we  passed  an  old  gateway 
which  divides  Pera  from  Galata,  and  then  the  road  became  steeper 
and  narrower  still.  But  the  same  busy  throng  kept  slipping  and 
jostling,  and  hurrying  up  and  down ;  although  the  absence  of 
carriages  allowed  an  odd  kind  of  silence  to 
prevail, — such  as  has  struck  one  in  a 
great  London  thoronglifare,  when  the 
pavement  has  been  taken  up.  Now  and 
then,  a  horseman  cluttered  and  stumbled 
over  the  rough  pavement,  in  imminent 
danger  as  regarded  himself,  his  horse,  and 
the  foot-passengers  ;  and  occasionally  some 
mules  increased  the  confusion.  But  every- 
thing was  carried  by  tlie  linmalx  —  even 
the  blocks  of  stone  from  the  port,  to  be 
used  for  the  buildings  high  above  us ;  and 


A    MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


at  last,  I  met  one  toiling  up  with  a  sick  sailor  on  his  back,  going 
to  a  hospital. 

A  few  minutes  brouglit  us  down  to  the  briJgo  of  boats,  leading 
from  Galata  to  Stamboul,  across  the  Golden  Horn,  which  is  here 
somewhat  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  breadtii.  From  this  point, 
one  of  the  most  superl)  views  in   Constantinople  is  to  be  obtained, 

—  more  comprel)enslve  than  that  from  the  steamer,  as  the  continua- 
tion of  the  port  towards  the  arsenal  is  added  to  the  range.  Emerg- 
ing from  the  close  and  dirty  Galata,  the  bright  panorama  fairly 
takes  one's  breath  away.  The  wondrous  and  dazzling  confusioa 
of  minarets,  domes,  towers,  ships,  trees,  ruins,  kiosks,  and  ware- 
houses, with  the  sparkling  water  below,  more  intensely  blue  than 
the  sky  above,  is  beyond  description.  The  ever-changing  kaleido- 
scope, however,  that  the  bridge  affords,  may  be  better  dealt  with. 
One  has  only  to  lean  again,st  the  rails  for  five  minutes,  and  he  will 
see  some  specimen  of  every  known  Oriental  race  pass  by  him.  Take 
your  place,  with  your  back  to  the  arsenal,  near  where  the  good- 
tempered  little  cripple  has  permission  to  sit  and  ask  for  alms,. (as 
the  blind  girl  in  the  large  straw  hat,  and  the  man  with  the  ragojed 
vulture,  used  to  do  on  the  Pont  des  Arts  at  Paris,)  and  make  all 
use  of  your  eyes.  First,  observe  how  the  poor  mannikin  at  your 
feet  has  chosen  his  place  carefully.  He  knows  that  some  paras 
will  come  in  change  from  the  toll,  and  he  waits  for  them,  near  the 
gate,  before  you  put  them  in  your  pocket.  At  the  other  end  of 
the  bridge  he  would  have  no  chance  of  this  small  money.  And 
now  watch  the  folks  before  you,  and  let  me  be  the  showman. 

First  of  all  comes  a  person  high  in  command,  upon  horseback. 
He  has  adopted,  in  common  with  his  Sultan,  the  European  dress 

—  the  red  fez  alone  distinguishes  him  from  any  other  foreigner  you 
might  chance  to  meet.  His  servant,  in  Turkish  costume,  runs  by 
his  side,  and  can  keep  up  with  him  for  any  distance.  The  trap- 
pings of  the  horse  are  magnificently  embroidered  with  tinsel  and 
gold,  and  they  carry  your  mind  back  to  the  days  when  you  saw 
the  combat  between  Kerim  and  Sanballat,  in  Timour  the  Tartar. 


62 


A    MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


The  old  Turk  with  the  mighty  Turban,  who  meets  him,  dislikes 
the  P]uropean  dress  and  the  simple  fez ;  he  foresees,  in  the  change 
from  the  lumbering  costume  of  himself  and  fathers,  the  spirit  of 
advancing  civilization  which  must  shake  the  most  time-honored 
observances  of  the  Eastern  world,  in  another  age  ;  and  lie  knows, 
with  sorrow  to  himself,  that  every  paddle-wheel  which  churns  the 
waters  of  the  IJosphorus,  produces,  by  its  revolutions,  others 
almost  imperceptible,  but  no  less  certain,  in  his  social  and  political 
state,  lie  clings,  however,  to  his  religion  and  his  Koran  ;  that 
will  always  endure,  for  the  wily  impostor  who  drew  up  the  Mahom- 
medan  code,  so  flattered  the  passions  of  his  followers,  that  their 
allegiance  was  certain  as  Ions:  as  human  nature  renuiined  unchanjr 


mg. 


There  is  loud  musical  female  laughter  now  heard,  and  an  odd 


vehicle  crosses  the  bridge,  drawn  by  a  jaded  horse.  AVe  have  no 
conveyance  like  it  in  England  ;  nor  possibly  is  there  its  fellow  out 
of  Turkey.  It  lias  no  si'ats  ;  but  on  '•n>liinns,  in  its  interior,  those 
dark-eyed  beauties  an;  sitting.  —  pale  Ciu'assian  girls,  and  iiuiiates 
of  the  han'L'iii  of  some  great  man.  The  carriage  halts  in  front  of 
you  to  allow  a  train  of  mules,  carrying  jdanks,  to  pass  on  their 
way  to  I'era,  and  you  can  see  the  inmates  plainly.     One  of  them 


A   MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


58 


stares  fixedly  at  you;  you  look  again,  and  she  is  not  angry  —  a 
few  years  ago,  you  would  have  been  sent  away.  She  only  draws 
back,  but  she  still  keeps  her  eyes  on  you  —  wondrous  large- 
pupiled  eyes,  in  whose  depths  your  own  vision  appears  to  lose 
itself.  Then  she  speaks  to  her  companions,  and,  just  as  the  vehicle 
moves  on,  they  all  three  join  in  another  burst  of  ringing  laughter, 
and  leave  you  to  debate  whether  an  uncompanionable  beauty  —  to 
Bay  nothing  of  three  —  can  be  regarded  as  a  jewel  or  a  bore,  in  a 
man's  household. 

All  this  time  the  tide  of  foot  passengers  has  been  flowing  on. 
Here  are  some  Turkish  soldiers ;  untidy-looking  fellows,  in  blue 
coats  and  white  trowsers,  still  with  the  red  fez.  A  cavass,  or 
policeman  is  with  them.  He  wears  a  surtout,  pistols  are  in  his 
belt,  a  sabre  is  at  his  side,  and  his  breast  is  ornamented  with  rows 
of  cartridges ;  they  are  all  going  to  take  up  some  unfortunate  wight. 
He  is  followed  by  a  dervish —  one  of  those  who  dance,  on  certain 
days,  at  Pcra :  he  also  keeps  a  shop,  in  Stamboul.  The  other  way 
comes  a  group  of  keen  Armenian  nierchants,  each  swinging  a 
chaplet  of  beads  about,  or  counting  them,  rest- 
lessly, and  half  unconsciously,  with  his  finger. 
This  will  be  a  feature  you  cannot  fail  to  notice 
before  you  have  been  an  hour  in  Constantinople. 
The  chaplet,  or  tesheh,  contains  ninety-nine  wooden 
beads,  divided  into  three  rows  by  little  oblong  pieces 
of  turned  wood.  It  is  used  in  certain  forms  of  the 
Mohammedan  religion ;  but  the  active  minds  of 
the  Armenian  and  Greek  traders  require  something 
to  expend  their  irritability  upon,  and  so  they  all 
carry  these  beads,  constantly  whirling  them  about, 
or  rapidly  reckoning  them  up  by  twos  and  threes, 
all  the  while  they  are  conversins;  or  smoking:. 

Amongst  the  crowd  you  see  porters,  water-carriers,  or  Sakas ; 
cake-men,  or  Lohumjees ;  native  couriers,  or  Tatars,  who  will 
take  you  for  a  oertaia  sum,  everything  included,  to  Bagdad,  if  you 


54  A   MONTH  AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

please ;  and  bending  beneath  their  baskets  are  grape-sellers,  with 
the  beautiful  fruit  we  have  before  noticed  —  the  chow-oosh-uzume, 
as  it  is  pronounced,  and  which  you  sliould 
always  ask  for.  Now  two  trains  of  mules, 
laden  with  firewood  and  barrels,  have  met, 
and  there  is  great  confusion,  which  the 
drivers  considerably  increase.  On  the 
water  below,  there  is  equal  bustle.  The 
eighty  thousand  caiques,  said  to  be  plying 
about  Constantinople,  must  necessarily  get, 
at  times,  in  each  other's  way  ;  and  our  own 
"bargees"  would  pale  before  the  riot  and 
swearing  that  begin  when  such  takes  ])lace. 
Here  a  heavy  boat,  filled  with  country  people,  is  going  up  the  ]ios- 
phorus ;  there  two  steamers  are  lying,  all  ready  to  start  from  the 
bridge  —  one  for  Prince's  Islands,  and  tlie  other  for  IJiiyukdere. 
The  dogs  sleep  about  the  bridge  just  the  same  as  in  tlve  streets, 
and  do  not  move  for  anybody.  Little  Greek  children,  taught  to 
beg  with  a  winning  smile  and  courtesy,  instead  of  the  whining  cant 
of  our  mendicants,  get  immediately  before  you ;  and  the  distant 
appearance  of  a  camel  or  two  at  the  Stamlwul  end  of  the  bridge, 
and  a  buffalo  drove  at  the  other,  with  tlie  opposition  mules  still  in 
the  centre,  promises  such  an  awkward  rencontre,  tiiat  our  best  plan 
is  to  get  away  as  soon  as  possible.  But  you  will  often  return  to 
this  Galata  bridge,  and  always  find  amusement  in  watching  its 
ever-changing  objects. 

My  guide  took  me  on,  through  the  narrow,  crooked  streets  of 
Stamboul  —  which  are  certainly  a  trifle  cleaner  than  those  of  Pera 
—  towards  the  chief  baza^ir.  He  was  anxious  to  jirove  that  lie  was 
doing  his  duty ;  and  showed  and  told  me  so  much  that  my  head 
was  soon  in  an  absolute  whirl. 

"  Here  's  where  they  cut  the  heads  off,"  he  said,  in  somewhat 
more  difficult  English  than  I  care  to  distress  the  reader  with ; 
"  just  here,  where  these  two  streets  meet,  and  the  body  is  left  here 


A   MONTH   AT   COVSTANTINOPLE.  55 


a  day  or  so,  and  sometimes  the  dogs  get  at  it.  Not  many  execu- 
tions now  —  only  English  subjects." 

There  was  something  very  startling  in  this  information,  until  it 
was  explained.  By  "  English  subjects,"  he  meant  the  emigrants 
from  Malta  and  the  Ionian  Islands  —  natives  of  those  places,  who 
bear  the  worst  characters  of  all  the  graceless  scamps  forming, 
unfortunately,  a  large  proportion  of  the  Pera  population.  There 
had  not,  however,  been  an  execution  for  more  than  a  year,  with  all 
the  popular  talk  of  Turkish  scimitars  and  sacks. 

"  All  English  gentlemen,"  continued  Demetri,  "think  they  cut 
off  heads  every  day  in  Staniboul,  and  put  them,  all  of  a  row,  on 
plates  at  the  Seraglio  Gate.  And  they  think  people  are  always 
being  drowned  in  the  Bosphorus.  Not  true.  I  know  a  fellow 
who  is  a  dragoman,  and  shows  that  wooden  shoot  which  comes  from 
the  wall  of  the  Seraglio  Point,  as  the  place  they  slide  them  down. 
It  is  only  to  get  rid  of  the  garden  rubbish.  Same  with  lots  of 
other  things." 

Demetri  was  right.  To  be  completely  desillusione  on  certain 
points,  one  has  but  to  journey  with  a  determination  to  be  only 
affected  by  things  as  they  strike  you.  Swiss  girls,  St.  Bernard 
do^s,  Portici  fishermen,  the  Rhine,  Nile  travelling,  and  other 
objects  of  popular  rhapsodies,  fearfully  deteriorate  upon  practical 
acquaintance.  Few  tourists  have  the  courage  to  say  that  they  have 
been  "  bored,"  or  at  least  disappointed,  by  some  conventional  lion. 
They  find  that  Guide-books,  Diaries,  Notes,  Journals,  &c.  &c., 
all  copy  one  from  the  other  in  their^  enthusiasm  about  the  same 
things ;  and  they  shrink  fronr  the  charge  of  vulgarity,  or  lack  of 
mind,  did  thoy  dare  to  differ.  Artists  and  writers  will  study  effect 
rather  than  graphic  truth.  The  florid  description  of  some  modern 
book  of  travel  is  as  different  to  the  actual  impressions  of  ninety- 
nine  people  out  of  a  hundred  —  allowing  all  these  to  possess 
average  education,  perception,  and  intellect  —  when  painting  in 
their  minds  the  same  subject,  as  the  ai-tfully  tinted  lithogsaph,  or 


56  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

picturesque  engraving  of  the  portfolio  or  annual,  is  to  tlio  faithful 
photograph. 

"  That  fellow 's  a  Dervish  —  dam'  rascal  I"  Demetri  went  on, 
pointing  to  the  individual ;  "  we  shall  see  him  dance  on  Friday  ;  he 
keeps  a  shop  in  the  bazaar.  That 's  a  man  from  Bokhara  —  dam' 
fellow,  too;  all  bad  there.     This  is  a  Han." 

The  Han,  or,  as  we  usually  pronounce  it,  Khan,  was  a  square 
surrounded  by  buildings,  with  galleries ;  with  other  occupants  it 
could  have  been  easily  converted  into  a  slave-market.  A  vague 
notion  of  it  may  be  formed  from  an  old  borough  inn  —  one  story 
high,  and  built  of  stone.  There  was,  however,  a  tree  or  two  in 
the  middle,  and  a  fountain ;  in  the  corner  was  also  an  indifferent 
coffee-house. 

These  places,  of  which  there  are  nearly  two  hundred  in  Constan- 
tinople, have  been  built,  from  time  to  time,  by  the  sultans,  and 
wealthy  persons,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  merchants  arriving,  by 
caravan,  from  distant  countries.  No  charge  is  made  for  their  use ; 
but  the  rooms  are  entirely  unfurnished,  so  that  tlie  occupier  must 
bring  his  mattress,  little  carpet,  and  such  humble  articles  of 
cookery  as  he  may  require,  witli  him.  A  key  of  his  room  is  given 
to  him,  and  he  is  at  once  master,  for  the  time  being,  of  the 
apartment.  In  the  Han  I  visited,  the  occupants  were  chiefly 
Persians,  in  high  black  sheep-skin  caps,  squatted,  in  the  full 
enjoyment  of  Eastern  indolence,  upon  their  carpets,  and  smoking 
their  narnliillas,  or  "  liuhhlc-hitbhles.^^  Some  of  them  came  from 
a  very  great  distance  —  Samarcand,  and  the  borders  of  Cabool,  for 
instance  ;  so  that  their  love  of  repose,  after  the  toil  and  incertitude 
of  a  caravan  journey,  was  quite  allowalile. 

Demetri  i.ext  insisted  that  I  should  see  the  two  vast  subter- 
raneous cisterns,  relics  of  great  antiquity.  One  of  these,  the  roof 
of  which  was  supported  by  tln-eo  or  four  humlred  pillars,  is  dry, 
and  used  as  a  mpc-walk,  or  silk-winding  gallery.  The  other  has 
water  in  it.  You  go  througli  the  court  of  a  house,  and  then 
descend,  over  rubbish  and  broken  steps,  to  a  cellar,  from  which  the 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  57 

reservoir  extends,  until  lost  in  its  gloomy  immensity.  The  few 
bits  of  candle  whicli  the  man  lights  to  show  it  off,  cannot  send 
their  rays  very  far  from  the  spectator.  It  is  more  satisfactory  to 
throw  a  stone,  and  hear  it  plash  in  the  dark  water  at  the  end  of  ita 
course,  with  a  strange,  hollow  sound.  Over  this  mighty  tank  are 
the  houses  and  streets  of  Stamboul.  The  number  of  columns, 
which  are  of  marble,  is  said  to  be  about  three  hundred ;  and  the 
water,  which  you  are  expected  to  taste,  is  tolerably  gootl. 

We  left  the  cistern,  and  traversed  a  few  more  lanes  on  our  way 
to  the  bazaars.  In  these  Eastern  thoroughfares,  narrow  and 
crowded,  one  continually  labors  under  the  impression  of  being 
about  to  turn  into  a  broad  street  or  large  square  from  a  bye-way ; 
but  this  never  arrives.  A  man  may  walk  for  hours  about  Con- 
stantinople, and  always  appear  to  be  in  the  back  streets ;  although, 
in  reality,  they  may  be  the  great  arteries  of  the  city.  Tortuous,  and 
very  much  alike,  Stamboul  is  also  one  large  labyrinth,  as  regards 
its  thoroughfares ;  the  position  of  a  stranger  left  by  himself  in  the 
centre  would  be  hopeless. 

Smyrna  had,  in  some  measure,  prepared  me  for  the  general 
appearance  of  an  oriental  bazaar ;  but  the  vast  extent  of  these 
markets  at  Constantinople  created  a  still  more  vivid  impression. 
To  say  that  the  covered  rows  of  shops  must,  altogether,  be  miles  in 
length  —  that  vista  after  vista  opens  upon  tlie  gaze  of  the  aston- 
ished stranger,  lined  with  the  costliest  productions  of  the  world, 
each  collected  in  its  proper  district  —  that  one  may  walk  for  an 
hour,  without  going  over  the  same  ground  twice,  amidst  diamonds, 
gold,  and  ivory ;  Cashmere  shawls,  and  Chinese  silks ;  glittering 
arms,  costly  perfumes,  embroidered  slippers,  and  mirrors;  rare 
brocades,  ermines,  Morocco  leathers,  Persian  nick-nacks;  amber 
mouth-pieces,  and  jewelled  pipes  —  that,  looking  along  the  shortest 
avenue,  every  known  tint  and  color  meets  the  eye  at  once,  in  the 
wares  and  costumes,  and  that  the  noise,  tlie  motion,  the  novelty  of 
this  strange  spectacle  are  at  first  perfectly  bewildering  —  all  thi; 
possibly  gives  the  reader  the  notion  of  some  kind  of  splendid  mart 


58  A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

fitted  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  glittering  pcnsonagcs  who  figure  in 
the  Arabian  Nights'  P^ntertainnients ;  yet  it  can  convoy  but  a  poor 
idea  of  the  real  interest  which  such  a  place  calls  forth,  or  the  most 
extraordinary  assemblage  of  treasures  displayed  there,  amidst  so 
much  apparent  shabbiness.  No  spot  in  the  world  —  neither  the 
Parisian  Boulevards,  nor  our  own  Regent-street  —  can  boast  of 
such  an  accumulation  of  valuable  wares  from  afar,  as  tlie  great 
bazaar  at  Constantinople.  Hundreds  and  thousands  of  miles  of 
rocky  road  and  sandy  desert  have  been  traversed  by  the  moaning 
camels  who  have  carried  those  silks  and  precious  stones  from 
Persia,  with  the  caravan.  From  the  wild  regions  of  the  mys- 
terious central  Africa,  that  ivory,  so  cunningly  worked,  in  the  next 
row,  has  been  brought  —  the  coal-black  people  only  know  how  — 
until  the  Nile  floated  it  down  to  Lower  Egypt.  Then  those  soft 
Cashmere  shawls  have  made  a  long  and  treacherous  journey  to 
Trebizond,  whence  the  fleet  barks  of  the  cold  and  stormy  Euxine 
at  last  brought  them  up  the  fairy  Bosphorus  to  the  very  water's 
edge  of  the  city.  From  the  remote  active  America  ;  from  sturdy 
England ;  from  Cadiz,  Marseilles,  and  all  along  the  glowing  shores 
of  the  ^Mediterranean,  safely  carried  over  the  dark  and  leaping  sea, 
by  brave  iron  monsters  that  have  fought  the  winds  with  their  scald- 
ing breatl),  —  these  wares  have  come,  to  tempt  the  purchasers  in 
the  pleasant,  calm,  subdued  light  of  the  bazaars  of  Stamboul. 

I  have  said  that  each  article  has  its  proper  bazaar  assigned  to 
it.  Tlius,  there  is  one  row  for  muslins,  another  for  slippers, 
another  for  fezzes,  for  shawls,  for  arms,  for  drugs,  and  so  on.  Yet 
there  is  no  competition  amongst  the  shop-keepers.  No  struggling  to 
out-placard  or  out-ailvertise  each  otlier,  as  would  occur  witli  us  in 
cool-headed,  feverish,  crafty,  credulous  London.  You  must  not 
expect  them  to  pull  one  thing  down  after  another  for  you  to  look 
at,  until  it  appears  hopeless  to  conceive  that  tlie  counter  will  ever 
again  be  tidy,  or  everything  returned  to  its  place.  The  merchant 
will  show  you  what  you  ask  for,  Ijut  no  more,  lie  imagines  that 
when  you  came  to  buy  at  liis  store,  you  had  made  up  your  mind  as 


A    MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOPLE.  59 

to  what  you  wanted ;  and  that,  not  finding  it,  you  will  go  else- 
where, and  leave  him  to  his  pipe  again. 

He  knows  how  to  charge,  though,  but  he  is  easily  open  to  con- 
viction that  he  has  asked  too  high  a  price.  For  the  way  of  dealing 
with  him  is  as  follows.  Wanting  one  of  the  light  scarfs  with  the 
fringed  ends,  which  supersede  the  use  of  braces  in  the  Levant,  I 
inquired  the  price  at  a  bazaar  stall.  The  man  told  me  fifty 
piastres,  (half  a  sovereign.)  I  immediately  offered  him  five-and- 
twenty.  This  he  did  not  take,  and  I  was  walking  away,  when  he 
called  me  back,  and  said  I  should  have  it.  I  told  him,  as  he  had 
tried  to  cheat  me,  I  would  not  give  him  more  than  twenty,  now ; 
upon  which,  without  any  hesitation,  he  said  it  was  mine.  This  plan 
I  afterwards  pursued,  whenever  I  made  a  purchase  at  Constanti- 
nople, and  I  most  generally  found  it  answer.  My  merry  friend  at 
Smyrna  had  given  me  the  first  lesson  in  its  practicability. 

I  do  not  suppose  that  they  ask  these  high  prices,  as  the  French 
do,  because  they  suppose  we  are  made  of  money ;  I  believe,  on  the 
contrary,  tliat  they  try  to  impose  on  their  own  countrymen  in  the 
same  manner;  for,  to  judge  from  the  long  haggling  and  solemn 
argument  which  takes  place  when  they  buy  of  each  other,  the 
same  wide  difference  of  opinion  as  to  a  fair  value  exists  between 
the  purchaser  and  vendor,  under  every  circumstance. 

There  is  a  common  failing  with  tourists,  of  wishing  to  buy  every- 
thing in  the  way  of  souvenirs  of  a  place  as  soon  as  they  arrive  ; 
instead  of  waiting  to  see  which  is  the  most  advantageous  market. 
In  this  mood,  I  thought  it  proper  to  lay  in  a  stock  of  otto  of  roses 
immediately ;  and  we  went  to  the  most  famous  merchant  of  the 
bazaar  fur  tliis  purpose.  We  were  asked  into  a  '^T"^ 
small  back  room,  in  which  were  soft  cushions  to 
sit  upon ;  and  the  attendant  directly  filled  a 
pipe  for  each  of  us,  and  brought  some  coffee, 
in  tiny  cups  placed  in  a  little  metal  staml,  the  size 
of  an  egg-cup.  The  pipe-sticks  were  of  cherry- 
wood,  and  very  long :  where  the  red  bowl  rested 


60  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


on  the  matting,  a  neat  little  brass  tray  was  placed  ;  and  a  small 
charcoal  fire-place  in  the  corner,  on  which  the  coffee  was  made, 
supplied  the  braise  to  light  the  latakla. 

I  was  very  niucli  disap{)ointed  with  the  Turkish  coffee,  of  which 
we  hear  so  much  in  England :  it  is  not  to  be  mentioned  in  the 
same  breath  with  that  of  the  Estaminet  Ilollandais,  in  the  Palais 
Koyal,  or  any  other  good  Parisian  house.  The  coffee,  in  this 
instance,  was  bruised  rather  than  ground,  made  very  strong, 
sweetened,  an<l  then  poured  out,  grouts  and  all,  into  the  little 
cups.  When  it  had  settled,  it  was-  carefully  sipped,  and  the 
grounds  filled  up  above  a  third  of  the  cup. 

There  was  much  to  look  at  in  our  merchant's  shop.  Apart 
from  his  perfumes,  he  dealt  in  Damascus  arms,  tiger  skins,  and 
Persian  curiosities  —  these  latter  being  chiefly  portfolios,  looking- 
glasses,  and  oblong  cases,  which  my  lady  friends  at  home  have 
pronounced  to  make  admirable  knitting-boxes.  They  were  all 
painted  with  representations  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  hunting, 
making  love,  and  walking  about  in  fine  gjirdens.  The  ladies 
appeared  all  of  one  family,  with  marvellously  dark,  almond-shaped 
eyes;  and  the  gentlemen  had  long,  black  bcard.'^,  that  a  Fre<ich 
sapeur  might  have  hoped  in  vain  to  have  equalled.  Everything, 
however,  was  outrageously  dear. 

The  otto  was  ])nurcd  into  the  little  gilded  bottles  we  are  familiar 
with;  and  in  eacli  of  their  slender  channels  a  little  l>alloon  of  air 
was  left  that  the  ]iurchaser  might  see  he  was  not  cheated,  by 
floating  it  up  and  down.  There  are  different  kinds  of  otto.  The 
cheapest  is  exceedingly  nasty,  and  leaves  a  scent  behind  it  some- 
thing between  turpentine  and  peppermint  :  it  is  as  bad  in  its  way 
as  Boulogne  eau-de-Cologne.  The  best  costs  about  sixteen-pence 
a  bottle.  This  is  tlie  purest  essential  oil  of  the  rose,  and  will 
impart  its  scent  to  a  casket  or  drawer  for  years,  even  through  the 
piece  of  bladder  tied  over  it. 

The  shop-keepers  come  to  the  bazaar  in  the  morning,  and  leave 
it  at  night,  when  it  \s  shut  up.     They  take  their  meals  there,  how- 


A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


61 


ever.  One,  a  shawl-merchant,  was  making  a  light  dinner  from 
grapes  and  bulls'-ejes ;  anotlier  had  bread  and  dates ;  and  many 
had  little  portions  of  minced  meats  done  in  loaves,  from  the  cook- 
shops.  Of  a  coarser  kind  were  the  refreshments  carried  about  by 
men  on  round  trays.  These  were  chiefly  cold  pancakes,  chestnuts 
of  poor  flavor,  rings  of  cake-bread,  fruits  and  sweetmeats.  Of 
these  last,  the  rah-hak-la-coom  (I  spell  it  as  ""pronounced)  is  the 
most  popular.  It  is  made,  I  was  told,  of  honey,  rice,  and  almonds, 
and  flavored  with  otto  in  an  extremely  delicate  manner.  Its 
meaning  is,  "  giving  repose  to  the  throat." 

The  bazaars  are  perfect  thoroughfares  for  horses  and  carriages, 


as  well  as  for  foot-passengers ;  and  as  there  is  no  division  in  the 

narrow  row  between  road  and  footway,  one  must  always  be  on  hia 
5* 


62  A    MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOPLK. 

guard.  Now,  a  man  of  importance,  with  his  servant  running  at 
his  stirrup,  will  come  by ;  now,  one  of  the  lumbering  carriages 
filled  with  women.  And,  indeed,  these  latter  form  the  principal 
class  of  customers.  Early  in  the  day  they  crowd  to  the  finery 
shops,  and  there  you  will  see  them  having  everything  unrolled, 
whether  they  want  it  or  not,  comparing,  haggling  and  debating, 
exactly  as  our  own  ladies  would  do  at  any  "enormous  sacrifice" 
that  "  must  be  cleared"  in  a  few  days.  Sometimes,  by  great  good 
chance,  you  may  see  a  taper  ankle  and  small  white  naked  foot 
displayed  at  the  shoe-shop ;  but,  under  such  circumstances,  you 
must  not  appear  to  be  looking  on,  or  the  merchant  may  address 
some  observation  to  you  very  uncomplimentary  to  the  female 
branches  of  your  family,  and  singularly  forcible  to  be  uttered 
before  his  lady  customers.  Of  verbal  delicacy,  however,  the 
Turkish  wonien  have  not  the  slightest  notion. 

The  walk  back  to  Pera,  through  Galata  and  up  the  steep  rugged 
lane,  was  very  tiring,  yet  the  constant  novelty  still  made  me  forget 
fatigue.  At  the  scrap  of  burying-ground  on  the  hill, — which, 
like  many  of  the  other  cemeteries,  lies  in  the  most  thickly-crowded 
quarters  of  the  city,  like  the  London  graveyards,  —  I  stopped 
awhile  for  a  cup  of  .sherbet  from  one  of  the  vendors  of  that  drink, 
which  is  precisely  the  chcrri/nde  of  our  evening  parties,  into  which 
a  lump  of  compressed  snow  is  put.  Looking  at  the  burial-ground, 
I  thought  that  very  little  respect  appeared  to  be  paid  to  the  dead. 
It  was  not  enclo.sed  ;  dogs  were  sleeping  about,  and  cocks  and  hens 
scratching  up  a  miserable  living  from  the  ground.  The  grave- 
stones were  all  out  of  the  perpendicular,  and  some  had  liw-u 
tundiled  down  completely.  Here  and  there  the  stone  turbans 
which  had  been  knocked  from  tlio  toin!)s  of  the  janissaries  were  yet 
lying;  and  on  that  ])art  that  buidiTcd  the  stieet  they  h.ul  put 
old  bo.\cs,  crates,  tubs,  clirap  grod^  t<ii-  >-,!i-  ;  ;\\v\,  lastly,  tlic  lire- 
engine,  about  whirh,  and  t'ln'  daiirinj;  dr.-vi-'ii  w'mu  was  sitting  near 
it,  opposite  his  convent,  1  sliall  have  snuii'tli;:!  ;  '■'  say  further  on. 

Just   l;eyoiid   the   burying-ground,  1    went   in  w  a  French   hair- 


A    MONTU   AT    CONSTAXTIXOPLE.  63 

dresser's  for  some  trifles  for  the  toilet.  He  was  a  smart,  active 
fellow,  and  a  Parisian  —  apparently  doing  a  good  business  in  his 
way,  but  hating  the  Turks  and  their  country  intensely.  He  told 
me,  amongst  much  Pera  scandal,  that  he  once  had  an  intrigue  with 
a  Turkish  woman  —  a  very  dangerous  game  in  this  country  —  and 
that  her  relations  became  aware  that  she  was  under  his  roof.  They 
had  it  surrounded  by  a  cordon  of  police,  and  he  was  ultimately 
obliged  to  break  through  the  wall  into  the  next  house,  by  which 
means  she  escaped,  with  the  connivance  of  the  neighbors.  lie 
added  that  the  whole  of  the  story  was  in  GalignanV s  3Iessenger  at 
the  time ;  and,  upon  inquiry  afterwards,  at  Pera,  I  found  that  it 
was  all  entirely  true,  for  the  afiair  had  made  some  noise  at  the  time  ; 
and  brought  no  small  custom  to  the  shop  of  the  gallant  coiffeur. 

"We  had  a  large  party  at  the  taUe-d'hote  when  we  got  bad:  to 
the  hotel,  at  dinner-time ;  and,  for  aught  that  there  was  different  in 
the  company  or  cooking,  one  might  just  as  well  have  been  in  France. 
Somewhat  tired,  I  was  not  sorry  to  get  to  bed  about  eight,  but 
sleep  was  not  just  yet  permitted,  for  a  quantity  of  persons  con- 
nected with  the  various  steamers  were  having  a  private  dinner  in 
the  next  room,  and  were  becoming  so  very  convivial,  that  slumber 
was  out  of  the  question.  So  I  sat  a  while  at  the  window,  looking 
at  the  moon  on  the  Bosphorus  and  Golden  Horn,  and  hearing  my 
fe.<tive  neighbors  go  through  all  the  stages  of  a  man's  dinner-party 
—  first  proposing  toasts,  then  speaking,  then  singing,  then  doing 
funny  things,  then  singing  without  being  listened  to,  then  in 
chorus  without  knowing  the  tune,  and  finally  differing  in  opinion 
and  breaking  up. 

The  lights  in  Stamboul  disappeared,  one  after  the  other,  —  for 
there  are  no  public  lamps  to  make  mention  of,  —  and  the  whole  of 
the  city  was  soon  as  quiet  as  a  country  village,  the  silence  being  only 
broken  by  the  clang  of  the  night-watchman's  iron-shod  staff,  as  ho 
made  it  ring  against  the  pavement,  from  time  to  time,  to  proclaim 
his  approach.  On  retiring  to  bed,  I  carried  with  me  the  feeling  of 
still  being  on  the  sea,  and  so  appeared  to  be  undulating  gently,  with 


64  A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

a  sensation  far  more  disagreeable  than  the  reality.  I  was  restless, 
too,  with  the  recollection  of  my  day's  sights,  and,  after  an  hour's 
doze,  I  woke  up  again,  and  went  and  sat  by  the  window.  The 
noise  I  then  heard   I  shall  never  forget. 

To  say  that  if  all  the  sheep-dogs  going  to  Sraithfield  on  a  market 
day  had  be*en  kept  on  the  constant  bark,  and  pitted  against  the 
yelping  curs  upon  all  the  carts  in  London,  they  could  have  given 
any  idea  of  the  canine  uproar  tliat  now  first  astonished  me,  would 
be  to  make  the  feeblest  of  images.  Tlie  whole  city  rang  with  one 
vast  riot.  Down  below  me  at  Tophano  —  over  at  Stamboul  —  far 
away  at  Scutari  —  tlio  whole  eighty  thousand  dogs'  that  are  said  to 
overrun  Constantinople,  appeared  engaged  in  the  most  active  exter- 
mination of  each  otlier  without  a  moment's  cessation.  The  yelping, 
howling,  barking,  growling,  and  snarling,  were  all  merged  into  one 
unifonn  and  continuous  even  sound,  as  the  noise  of  frogs  become.' 
when  heard  at  a  distance.  For-  hours  there  was  no  lull.  I  went 
to  sleep,  and  woke  again ;  and  still,  with  my  windows  open,  I 
heard  the  same  tumult  going  on :  nor  was  it  until  day-break  that 
anything  like  tranquillity  was  restored.  In  spite  of  my  early 
instruction,  that  dogs  delight  to  bark  and  bite,  and  should  bo 
allowed  to  do  so,  it  being  their  nature,  I  could  not  help  wishing 
that,  for  a  .short  season,  tlie  power  was  vested  in  me  to  carry  out  the 
most  palpable  service  fur  which  brickbats  and  the  Bosphorus  could 
be  made  conjointly  available. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

AN  EASTERN  BATU.— THE  FIRES  AT  PARA. 

Going  out  in  the  day-time,  it  is  not  difficult  to  find  traces  of  the 
fights  of  the  night  about  the  limbs  of  all  the  street-dogs.  There 
is  not  one,  amongst  their  vast  number,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a 
perfect  skin.  Some  have  their  ears  gnawed  away  or  pulled  off; 
others  have  had  their  eyes  taken  out ;  from  the  backs  and  haunches 
of  others,  perfect  steaks  of  flesh  have  been  torn  away ;  and  all  bear 
the  scars  of  desperate  combats. 

Wild  and  desperate  as  is  their  nature,  these  poor  animals  are 
susceptible  of  kindness.  If  a  scrap  of  bread  is  thrown  to  one  of 
them  now  and  then,  he  does  not  forget  it ;  for  they  have,  at  times, 
a  hard  matter  to  live,  —  not  the  dogs  amongst  the  shops  of  Galata 
or  Staraboul,  but  those  whose  "parish"  lies  in  the  large  burying- 
grounds  and  desert-places  without  the  city;  for  each  keeps,  or 
rather  is  kept,  to  his  district ;  and  if  he  chanced  to  venture  into  a 
strange  one,  the  odds  against  his  return  would  be  very  large. 
One  battered  old  animal,  to  whom  I  used  occasionally  to  toss  a 
scrap  of  food,  always  followed  me  from  the  hotel  to  thq  cross-street 
at  Pera,  where  the  two  soldiers  stand  on  guard,  but  would  never 
come  beyond  this  point.  He  knew  the  fate  that  awaited  him  had 
he  done  so ;  and,  therefore,  when  I  left  him,  he  would  lie  down  in 
the  road  and  go  to  sleep  until  I  came  back.  "WTien  a  horse  or 
camel  dies,  and  is  left  about  the  roads  near  the  city,  the  bones 
are  soon  picked  very  clean  by  these  dogs,  and  they  will  carry  the 


f5(5 


A    MONTH    AT    ro.NSTAXTINOrLE. 


skull  or  pelvis  to  a  great  distance.     I  was  told  tliat  they  will  eat 
their  dead  fellows  —  a  curious  fact,  I  believe,  in  canine  economy. 


They  are  always  troublesome  —  not  to  say  dangerous  —  at 
night ;  and  are  especially  in-itated  by  Europeans,  wliom  they  will 
single  out  amongst  a  crowd  of  Levantines. 

The  second  day  I  was  at  Constantinople  I  liad  a  ])ath,  in  the 
proper  Turkish  fashion  ;  and  this  was  rpiito  as  novel  in  its  way 
as  everything  else  had  b6en.  The  establislinient  patronized  was 
the  head  one  in  Staniboul ;  and  we  wont  from  the  street  into  a 
very  largo  hall,  entirely  of  marble,  with  a  gaUery  round  tlie  walls, 
in  which  were  couches,  as  well  as  down  lielow.  On  these,  dif- 
ferent visitors  are  reposing;  some  covered  u[>  and  lying  ([uite  still, 
otliers  smoking  narghiles,  and  drinking  coffee.  Towels  and  cloths 
were  drying  on  lines,  and  in  the  corner  was  a  little  shed,  serving 
as  a  Cafe. 

We  went  up  stairs  and  undressed,  giving  our  watches  nnd 
money  to  the  attendant,  who  tied  our  clothes  up  in  a  bundle.     He 


A    MONTH    AT    COXSTANTINOPI-E.  67 


then  tucked  a  colored  wrapper  round  our  waists,  and  threw  a  towel 
over  our  shoulders,  after  which  we  walked  down  stairs,  and  put  on 
some  wooden  clogs  at  the  door  of  the  nest  apartment.  The  first 
thins  these  did,  was  to  send  me  head 
over  heels,  to  the  great  discomfit- 
ure of  my  temporary  costume,  and 
equal  delight  of  the  bathers  there 
assembled.  We  remained  in  this  room,  which  was  of  an  increased 
temperature,  idling  upon  other  coaches,  until  we  were  pronounced 
reaily  to  go  into  the  second  cliamber.  I  contrived,  with  great  care 
and  anxiety,  to  totter  into  it  upon  my  clogs,  and  found  another 
apartment  of  marble,  very  warm  indeed,  and  lighted  from  the  top 
by  a  dome  of  glass  "  bull's-eyes."  In  the  middle  of  this  chamber 
was  a  hot  raised  octagon  platform,  also  of  marble,  and  in  the 
recesses  of  the  sides  were  marble  vases,  and  tanks,  with  tajis  for 
hot  and  cold  water,  and  channels  in  the  floor  to  carry  off  the  suds. 
Two  savage,  unearthly  boys,  their  heads  all  sliavcd,  with  the 
exception  of  a  tuft  on  the  top,  and,  in  their  .scant  costume  of  a  towel 
only,  looking  more  like  wild  Indians  than  Turks,  now  seized  hold 
of  me,  and,  forcing  me  back  upon  the  hot  mar])le  floor,  commenced 
a  dreadful  series  of  tortures,  such  as  I  had  only  read  of  as  per- 
taining to  the  dark  ages.  It  was  of  no  use  to  resist.  They 
clutched  hold  of  the  back  of  my  neck,  and  I  thought  they  were 
going  to  strangle  me ;  then  they  pulled  at  my  arms  and  legs, 
and  I  thought  again  they  were  going  to  put  me  on  the  rack ; 
and,  lastly,  when  they  both  began  to  roll  backwards  and  forwards 
on  my  chest,  doubling  my  cracking  elbows  underneath  them, 
I  thought,  finally,  that  my  last  minute  was  come,  and  tliat  death  by 
sufli)cation  would  finish  me.  They  were  fiends,  and  evidently 
delighted  in  my  agony ;  not  allowing  me  to  look  to  the  right 
or  left  after  my  companions,  and  throwing  tlicmselves  on  me 
again,  whenever  they  conceived  I  was  going  to  call  the  dragoman 
to  my  assistance.  I  do  not  know  tliat  I  ever  passed  such  a  fright- 
ful five  minutes,  connected  with  bathing,  nervous  as  are  some  of 


68  A    MONTH    AT    CONSTANTINOPLE. 

the  feelings  which  that  pastime  gives  rise  to.  It  is  very  terrible  to 
take  the  first  summer  plunge  into  a  deep  dark  river,  and  when  you 
are  at  the  bottom,  and  the  water  is  roaring  in  your  ears,  to  think 
of  dead  bodies  and  crocodiles ;  it  is  almost  worse  to  make  that 
frightful  journey  down  a  steep  beach,  in  a  bathing  machine,  with 
a  vague  incertitude  as  to  where  you  will  find  yourself  when  the 
doors  open  again :  but  nothing  can  come  up  to  what  I  suffered  in 
my  last  extremity,  in  this  Constantinople  bath.  Thoughts  of 
Turkish  cruelty  and  the  sacks  of  the  liosphorus ;  of  home,  and 
friends,  and  my  childhood's  bowers  —  of  the  sadness  of  being 
murdered  in  a  foreign  bath  —  and  the  probability  of  my  Giaour 
body  being  eaten  by  the  wild  dogs,  crowded  rapidly  on  me  as  these 
demons  increased  their  tortures;  until,  collecting  all  my  strength 
for  one  last  effort,  I  contrived  to  throw  them  off,  one  to  the 
right  and  the  other  to  the  left,  some  half  dozen  feet — and  regained 
my  legs. 

The  worst  was  now  over,  certainly ;  but  the  persecution  still 
continued  sufficiently  exciting.  Tlioy  seized  on  me  again,  and 
led  me  to  the  tanks,  where  tlicy  almost  flayed  me  with  horse-hair 
gloves,  and  drowned  me  with  Itowls  of  warm  water,  poured 
continuously  on  my  head.  I  could  not  see,  and  if  I  again 
tried  to  cry  out,  they  thrust  a  large  soapy  swab,  made  of  the  fibres 
that  grow  at  the  foot  of  the  date-palm,  into  my  mouth,  accom- 
panying each  renewed  act  of  cruelty  with  a  demand  for  baksheesh. 
At  last,  being  fairly  exbausted  themselves,  they  swatlied  me  in  a 
great  many  towels;  and  I  was  tlien  half  carried,  half  pushed, 
up  stairs  again,  where  I  took  my  place  upon  my  couch  with  feel- 
ings of  great  joy  and  thankfulness. 

I  now  began  to  think  that  all  the  horrors  T  had  undergone  were 
balanced  by  the  delicious  feeling  of  repose  that  stole  over  me.  I 
felt  that  I  could  have  stopped  there  forever,  with  the  fragrant 
coffee  steaming  at  my  side,  and  the  soothing  bubble  of  the 
narghiles  sounding  in  every  direction.  I  went  off  into  a  day- 
dream —  ray  last  clear  vision  being  that  of  a  man  having  his  head 


A  MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  69 

shaved  all  but  a  top  knot,  which  was  long  enough  to  twist  round 
and  round,  under  his  fez  —  and  could  scarcely  believe  that  an 
hour  had  elapsed,  when  the  dragoman  suggested  our  return  to 
tho  bustling  world  without. 

Very  confusing  indeed  was  the  noise  of  the  streets,  after  the 
quiet  of  the  baths.  I  felt  almost  giddy  and  bewildered,  until 
we  came  into  the  court-yard  of  a  mosque  —  that  of  Sultan  Bajazet 
—  where  several  people  were  lying  about  asleep  in  the  shade 
of  the  colonnades.  Suddenly  the  still  air  trembled,  and  turned 
into  a  whirl  of  conflicting  draught's  of  wind,  a  strange  loud  noise 
was  heard,  and  hundreds  after  hundreds  of  tame  pigeons  came 
fluttering  down  from  every  perch  and  corner  of  the  building 
to  be  fed,  as  a  man  appeared  under  one  .  of  the  porches. 
These,  I  understood,  were  all  sacred  birds ;  the  mosque  was 
their  home,  and  large  sums  were  put  aside  for  their  maintenance. 
I  do  not  know  to  what  punishment  I  might  not  have  been 
condemned,  had  the  guardians  been  aware  of  the  thoughts  con- 
nected with  innumerable  pies  that  then  occupied  my  mind. 

I  may  be  excused  for  repeating  the  old  stories  about  the  sacred 
pigeons — why  the  birds  at  the  mosque  are  held  in  such  reverence. 
At  the  time  of  the  Hegira,  or  flight  of  Mahomet  from  Mecca  to 
Medina,  from  which  period  the  Mahometan  year  is  calculated,  he 
was  very  closely  pursued  by  the  leaders  of  the  Koreishite  tribe, 
who,  jealous  of  his  growing  power,  which  threatened  to  upset  their 
ancient  religion,  had  combined  to  slay  him.  He  contrived  to 
gain  information  of  his  intended  assassination,  and  left  Mecca 
in  the  middle  of  the  night,  accompanied  by  Abu  Beker,  the 
father  of  his  most  beautiful  and  beloved  wife,  Ayesha.  Their 
enemies  were,  however,  almost  as  quick  as  they  were ;  and 
Mahomet  and  his  friend  had  just  time  to  conceal  themselves  in  a 
cave,  when  the  others  came  up.  13ut,  in  this  minute  of  time, 
an  acacia  bush  sprouted  up  before  the  opening,  and  amidst  its 
branches  was  a  nest,  in  which  a  pigeon  was  sitting  on  some  eggs. 
A  spider  is  also  said  to  have  spun  a  web  over  all.  When  the 
6 


70 


A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


would-be  assassins  came  up,  they  saw  these  things ;  and,  being 
thus  convinced  that  the  mouth  of  the  cavern  must  have  been 
undisturbed  for  some  time,  they  went  on  their  way :  otherwise 
they  would  have  entered  the  cave,  and  discovered  tlie  fugitives. 
This  was  in  the  year  622  of  the  Christian  era.  By  subtracting 
this  number  from  our  own  period,  the  epoch  of  the  Mahometan 
calendar  is  arrived  at.  Thus,  this  present  1850  is  1228  of  the 
Moslem  reckoning. 

It  was  my  good  fortune,  this  day,  to  make  accpiaintance  with 
an  old  Surrey  neighbor,  Mr.  Frederick  Taylor,  tlie  gentleman 
under  whose  able  superintendence  the  whole  of  the  beautiful 
machinery  at  the  Turkish  Mint,  and  the  Cannon  Fac-tory,  was 
established,  and  who  still  directs  the  latter  works.  He  lias  lived 
several  years  in  Constantinople,  and  is  as  much  respected  by  the 
Turks,  as  by  the  Frank  population.  A  sight  of  the  little  engine 
on  the  edge  of  the  grave-yard  at  Pera,  before  alluded  to,  turned 
the  subject  of  conversation  to  fires ;  and  he  told  me  that  a  larger 
machine  would  be  useless,  from  the  deficiency  of  water.  The  one 
in  question  was  such  as  a  couple  of  men  could  conveniently  carry. 
Ho  had  been  burnt  out  two  or  three  times ;  and  was  now  paying 
sixty  pounds  a  year  for  an  indifferent 
house,  at  Pera,  in  which  he  had  no  more 
furniture  and  appointments  than  were  ab- 
solutely necessary,  or  could  be  removed 
at  a  moment's  notice ;  since  there  are  no 
insurance  companies. 

The  extent  of  »the  Constantinople  fires 
is  well  known ;  nothing  can  e(^ual  their 
devastation,  or  the  desolation  produced 
by  them,  as  the  houses  are  consumed, 
not  by  tens  and  hundreds,  but  thousands. 
When  a  fire  breaks  out,  the  water-carriers, 
or  Sakas,  assemble  with  their  leathern 
vessels  to  fill  the  engine,  but  they  wUl  not  stir  until  they  are  paid 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


71 


^^%%^^%^ 


for  their  help.  The  Turkish  houses  are  nearly  all  built  of  wood, 
and  this  becomes  very  dry  in  the  hot  climate.  They  are  also 
overladen  witli  cumbersome  tiles.  The  natives  have  no  idea  of 
copying  ours,  with  the  overlapping  edge,  but  they  put  double  the 
number  needed  from  the  bad  shape  of  their  own ;  ^s^^'^j-^J^-s^^^-s?:* 
the  accompanying  section  will  show  the  difference. 
The  upper  figure  shows  the  manner  in  which 
our  English  tiles  cover  in  a  roof  and  protect  it  from  the  rain  :  the 
under  one  the  cumbersome  method  used  in  Turkey  for  the  same 
purpose.  When  a  fire  occurs,  therefore,  from  the  paucity  of  walls, 
and  dry  material  to  feed  it,  the  destruction  of  the  house  is  com- 
plete in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  the  heavy  roof  soon 
falling  in.  Crowded  up  together,  the  buildings  catch  in  all  direc- 
tions, and,  in  a  few  hours,  acres  of  habitations  are  destroyed,^ 
nothing  remaining  but  the  chimneys,  rising  from  the  desolation  like 
so  many  pillars,  with  a  very  strange  appearance.  Warned  by 
incessant  examples,  the  Turks  are,  at  last,  beginning  to  endeavor 


Ths  Fike  Tower  at  SiAMBorL. 


72  A   MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

to  lessen  the  evil.  The  main  street  of  Pera  is  to  be  much  wider ; 
and,  in  some  parts,  handsome  European  edifices  are  rising,  built 
entirely  of  stone,  oc  with  party  walls.  Here  and  there  houses 
are,  at  present,  in  course  of  erection,  which  might  take  rank  with 
many  on  the  Parisian  Boulevards. 

We  were  leaning,  that  evening,  against  the  railings  of  the 
"Little  Burial  Ground"  at  Pera,  watching  a  magnificent  sunset 
behind  Stamboul,  which  called  forth  my  liveliest  admiration.  My 
kind  friend  observed,  "  I  would  sooner  see  a  sunset  from  'The 
Cricketers/  at  Chertsey  Bridge."  Immediately  our  feelings  were 
the  same.  There  is  no  nation  of  the  world  so  great  in  distant 
enterprise  and  love  of  wandering,  as  the  English  —  none  which 
ever  turns  with  such  deeply-rooted  and  constant  affection,  un- 
changed by  any  time  or  distance,  to  its  home. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  LETTER  OF   INTRODUCTION.— THE  CIRCUS. 

I  HAD  been  favored  with  some  letters  of  introduction,  when  I 
left  London,  to  be  presented  to  residents  at  Constartinople. 
Amongst  them  was  one  from  a  young  Turk,  studying  engineering 
in  England,  to  his  brother ;  and  the  delivery  of  this,  or  rather  the 
attempt,  was  one  of  my  earliest  tasks.  I  wished,  at  the  same 
time,  to  get  my  passport  en  regie,  and  to  make  some  inquiries 
about  the  Egyptian  steamers. 

The  passport  affair  was  soon  settled ;  but  the  steamer  took 
somewhat  longer.  At  last,  I  found  a  little  dirty  office  in  Gralata, 
at  the  end  of  an  alley  almost  blocked  up  with  doubtful  fish  and 
cheap  melons,  from  which  information  was  to  be  obtained  about  the 
government  boat  —  the  Nile.  In  this  office  were  three  or  four 
clerks  in  fezzes,  smoking  their  pipes,  and  eating  grapes.  I  spoke 
twice  before  any  of  them  cared  to  disturb  themselves  to  give  an 
answer ;  and  at  last  one  of  them  replied,  in  French,  that  the  Nile 
certainly  did  go  down  to  Alexandria  about  once  a  month,  but  that 
she  was  not  in  yet  —  they  did  not  know  when  she  would  be ; 
perhaps  to-day,  perhaps  to-morrow  —  next  week  —  ever  so  long. 
When  she  came  in,  they  could  not  say  when  she  would  go  out 
again  —  nobody  ever  knew ;  perliaps  she  would  return  immedi- 
ately, perhaps  not  at  all.  And  then,  to  show  me  that  the  inter- 
view was  over,  they  resumed  iheir  pipes,  and  spoke  no  more. 

My  next  care  was  my  letter,  and  I  left  the  office  with  Demetri, 
to  deliver  it.  But  this  was  not  so  easily  done.  It  had  a  long 
6* 


74  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

address,  in  the  Turkish  character,  which  my  dragoman  could  not 
read  very  well,  although  he  spoke  the  language  like  a  native ;  so, 
first  of  all,  he  had  to  find  a  learned  man  to  decipher  it.  We 
attacked  several  who,  after  looking  at  it  a  long  time,  shook  their 
heads  and  gave  it  back  again.  At  last,  an  old  tobacco-merchant 
told  us  that  it  was  for  somebody  in  the  Arsenal,  and  advised  us  to 
go  there.  This  was  a  good  way  up  the  Golden  Horn,  so  we  took 
a  caique  and  rowed  there.  When  we  got  to  the  gate,  they  would 
not  let  us  in,  nor  would  they  take  the  letter.  It  was  evident  that 
none  of  them  could  read.  They  said  the  person  with  the  name  we 
mentioned  was  in  some  particular  brig,  up  the  Bosphorus ;  and 
back  we  went. 

It  was  a  long  way  to  the  brig  —  a  good  hour's  row ;  and  we 
hailed  several  before  we  pitched  upon  the  right  one.  The  letter  was 
sent  on  board,  handed  round  to  everybody,  as  before,  and  then 
returned,  with  a  message  that  the  effendi  in  question  was  not 
there,  but  on  board  a  man-of-war  —  one  of  the  twelve  lying  at 
anchor  off  Constantinople ;  they  did  not  know  which,  but  thought 
it  was  the  furthest.  We  rowed  back  to  the  ship  indicated,  and 
they  sent  us  to  another,  alongside  which  we  were  kept  for  nearly 
half  an  hour,  when  the  letter  came  back  again,  by  this  time  very 
dirty  and  thumbed ;  and  the  bearer  said  that  we  must  deliver  it  at 
one  of  the  government  offices,  attached  to  the  Seraglio.  I  now 
really  began  to  think  that  we  had  possibly  hit  upon  some  Eastern 
First  of  April,  when  those  prolonged  excursions  after  pigeon's 
milk  and  eel's  feet  are  instituted ;  and  had  become  the  victims  of 
the  custom. 

We  had  been  far  enough  along  the  Bosphorus  to  see  the  new 
palace  which  the  Sultan  was  building  on  its  edge  in  European  style. 
I  noticed  here  an  odd  arrangement  of  the  scaffolding.  The  masons 
work  witliout  ladders,  but  make  an  enormous  inclined  plane  go 
from  the  ground  to  a  platform  on  the  scaffolding  at  a  great  height 
above  it.  Up  these  the  porters  carry  the  stones,  mortar,  &;c.,  so 
that  it  is  perfectly  practicable  for  a  mule  to  ascend  with  a  load  of 


A    MONTU    AT    CONSTANTINOPLE.  75 

materials  to  any  height.  A  great  many  people  were  employed 
upon  this  building,  but  there  was  none  of  that  bustling  activity  and 
swarming  life  which  characterize  most  of  our  large  edifices  in 
course  of  erection.  They  all  appeared  as  grave  and  solemn  as 
their  compatriots  in  the  bazaars  and  coffee-houses. 

Our  little  caique  went  with  wonderful  speed.     These  boats  are 
singularly  light,  and  admirably  built  to  cut  through  the  water. 


The  ordinary  ones  hold  two  persons  comfortably,  but  the  pas- 
sengers niust  sit  at  the  bottom,  and  be  as  careful  in  getting  into 
them  as  if  they  were  wager-boats,  or  they  will  upset.  The  oars 
are,  I  think,  an  iinprovenient  on  our  own.  Above  the  spot  where 
the  "button"  would  be,  they  swell  into  a  large  bulb,  and  this 
serves  to  counterbalance  the  blade,  wliich  is  straight.  They  work 
with  a  thong,  slipped  over  a  peg,  instead  of  rowlocks;  and  are 
managed  with  great  dexterity  by  the  caiquejees,  as  the  watermen 
are  called. 

The  brilliant  azure  color  of  the  Bosphorus  does  not  depend  upon 
reflection.  It  is  still  blue,  even  on  a  cloudy  day,  that  would  make 
our  own  seas  and  rivers  leaden.  The  tint  is,  to  an  extent,  in  the 
^ater,  as  it  may  be  seen  nearer  home  in  the  Rhone,  where  it  issues 
from  the  lake  of  Greneva,  under  the  bridge,  before  it  is  polluted  by 
the  Arve. 

We  landed  on  the  other  side  of  the  Golden  Horn,  near  a  pictu- 
resque and  thoroughly  oriental  Mosque,  to  which  I  was  told  the 
Sultan  retired  on  the  day  of  the  murder  of  the  Janissaries ;  and 
then  had  a  long,  tiring  walk,  skirting  the  Mosque  of  St.  Sophia, 
into  the  first  court  of  the  Seraglio,  which  is  public,  and  conducts  to 
certain  government  ofiices.     We  went  under  some  of  the  buildings, 


76  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE, 

supported  on  pillars,  where  there  was  gxeat  bustle  —  horses  waiting 
for  men  in  power,  with  elaborate  trappings,  rickety  carriages, 
slaves,  soldiers,  porters,  and  eunuchs  —  with  attendants  to  make 
everybody  take  off  their  shoes,  as  they  went  up  to  the  different 
apartments.  Here  the  luckless  letter  gave  rise  to  the  same  diffi- 
culties. Nobody  could  read,  but  they  took  the  note  and  handed  it 
round  from  one  to  the  other,  stared  at  us,  and  then  returned  it. 
At  last,  a  learned  man,  whom  we  attacked,  told  one  of  the  servants 
whom  it  was  for,  and  he  said  if  I  would  give  him  baksheesh  he 
would  take  it  in,  but  not  without.  A  few  paras  were  accordingly 
put  in  his  hand,  and  he  kicked  off  his  slippers,  and  disappeared. 
In  a  few  minutes  he  returned,  and  said  that  the  effendi  had  gone 
'  away,  nobody  knew  wKere,  but  that  ho  would  be  back  again 
to-morrow.  At  all  events,  we  liad  received  the  first  confirmation 
of  his  actual  existence,  which,  for  the  last  hour  or  two,  I  had 
altogether  doubted ;  but  as  the  day  was  now  advanced,  and  as  I 
felt  that  if  I  continued  the  research  any  longer,  I  might  get  cross 
from  fatigue  and  disappointment,  I  gave  up  the  pursuit  for  this 
day,  at  least. 

As  I  went  home,  up  the  steep  Galata  Hill,  I  saw  a  mad  horse 
—  an  awkward  customer  to  meet  in  such  a  narrow  thoroughfare. 
He  had  been  suddenly  taken  so ;  and  was  tearing  along,  kicking 
out  wildly,  and  scattering,  on  either  side,  the  bricks  with  which 
his  panniers  were  laden.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  confusion 
he  created,  for  the  Galata  Hill  is  always  thronged.  The  women 
were  screaming  and  flying  in  all  directions,  leaving  their  outer 
slippers  behind  them  all  about  the  street.  One  of  them  chanced 
to  get  her  yashmak  cauglit  by  a  shutter  as  she  retreated.  The 
veil  was  ])ulled  off,  and,  for  the  first  and  only  time  in  my  life,  I 
saw  the  naked  face  of  a  Turkish  foinalc.  Slie  was,  however,  ugly 
enough  to  make  any  oonceahnent  of  licr  features  perfectly  unneces- 
sary. The  unveiling  frightened  her  far  more  than  the  mad  horse, 
and  she  directly  threw  her  coarse  outer  wrapper  over  her  head, 
and  bolted  into  a  shop.     The  horse  finished  by  falling  down  near 


A    MONTH   AT   COKSTANTINOPLE.  77 

the  Galata  gate,  shattering  his  knees  to  pieces,  and  having  his 
throat  cut  by  one  of  the  police.  That  night,  I  expect,  the  dogs 
of  Pera  and  Gralata  held  high  and  gory  festival. 

I  went,  in  the  evening,  to  the  "  Grand  Circo  Olinipico'^  — 
an  equestrian  entertainment  in  a  vast  circular  tent,  on  a  piece  of 
open  ground  up  in  Pera  ;  and  it  was  as  curious  a  sight  as  one  could 
well  witness.  The  play-bill  was  in  three  languages,  —  Turkish, 
Armenian,  and  Italian;  and  the  audience  was  composed  almost 
entirely  of  Levantines,  nothing  but  fezzes  being  seen  round  the 
benches.  There  were  few  females  present ;  and  of  Turkish  women, 
none ;  but  the  house  was  well  filled,  both  with  the  spectators  and 
the  smoke  from  the  pipes  which  nearly  all  of  them  carried.  There 
was  no  buzz  of  talk,  —  no  distant  bailings,  nor  whistlings,  nor 
Bounds  of  impatience.  They  all  sat  as  grave  as  judges,  and 
would,  I  believe,  have  done  so  for  any  period  of  time,  whether  the 
performance  had  been  given  or  not.  I  have  said  the  sight  was  a 
curious  one,  but  my  surprise  was  excited  beyond  bounds,  when  a 
real  clown  —  a  perfect  "Mr.  Merriman,"  of  the  arena  —  jumped 
into  the  ring,  and  cried  out,  in  perfect  English,  "Here  we  are 
again  —  all  of  a  lump  !  How  are  you  ?  "  There  was  no  response 
to  his  salutation,  for  it  was  evidently  incomprehensible  ;  -and  so  it 
fell  flat,  and  the  poor  clown  looked  as  if  he  would  have  given  his 
salary  for  a  boy  to  have  called  for  "  Hot  Codlins !  "  I  looked  at 
the  bill  and  found  him  described  as  the  "  Grottesco  Inglese" 
Whittayne.  I  did  not  recognize  the  name  in  connection  with  the 
annals  of  Astley's,  but  he  was  a  clever  fellow,  notwithstanding ; 
and,  when  he  addressed  the  master  of  the  ring,  and  observed,  "If 
you  please,  Mr.  Guillaume,  he  says,  that  you  said,  that  I  said,  that 
they  said,  that  nobody  had  said,  nothing  to  anybody,"  it  was  with 
a  drollery  of  manner  that  at  last  agitated  the  fezzes,  like  poppies  in 
the  wind,  although  the  meaning  of  the  speech  was  still  like  a  sealed 
book  to  them.  I  don't  know  whether  great  writers  of  Eastern 
travel  would  have  gone  to  this  circus ;  but  yet  it  was  a  strange 
sight.     For  aught  that  one  could  tell,  we  were  about  to  see  all 


78 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPIJ?. 


the  mishaps  of  Billy  Button's  journey  to  Brentford,  represented 
in  their  vivid  discomfort,  upon  the  shores  of  the  Bosphorus,  and 
within  range  of  the  sunset  shadows  from  the  minarets  of  St. 
Sophia ! 

The  company  was  a  very  fair  one,  and  they  went  through  the 
usual  programme  of  the  amphitheatre.  One  clever  fellow  threw  a 
bullet  in  the  air,  and  caught  it  in  a  bottle  during  a  "rapid  act;" 
and  another  twisted  himself  amongst  the  rounds  and  legs  of  a  chair, 
keeping  a  glass  full  of  wine  in  his  mouth.  They  leapt  over  lengths 
of  stair-carpet,  and  through  hoops,  and  did  painful  things,  as 
Olympic  youths,  and  Lion-vaulters  of  Arabia.  The  attraction  of 
the  evening,  however,  was  a  very  handsome  girl  —  Maddalena 
Guillaurae  —  with  a  fine  Gitana  face  and  exquisite  figure.  Her 
performance  consisted  in  clinging  to  a  horse,  dresse  en  liberie,  with 
merely  a  strap  hung  to  its  side.     In  this  she  put  one  foot,  and  flew 


round  the  ring  in  the  most  reckless  manner,  leaping  with  the  horse 
over  poles  and  gates,  and  hanging  on  apparently  by  nothing,  until 
the  fezzes  were  in  a  quiver  of  delight,  for  her  costume  was  not 
precisely  that  of  the  Stamboul  ladies ;  in  fact,  very  little  was  left 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  79 

to  the  imagination.  When  it  was  over  she  retired  amidst  a  storm 
of  applause,  not  perhaps  thinking  that  three  weeks  afterwards  the 
notice  of  her  performance  would  appear  in  a  London  newspaper, 
contributed  to  the  theatrical  reports  by  their  "  own  correspondent." 
That  night  I  was  out  late  in  Pera  for  the  first  time,  and  a  new 
feature  of  its  customs  presented  itself  to  me.  There  are  very  few 
public  lamps ;  what  there  are,  are  of  oil,  hung  in  the  middle  of  the 
street,  as  in  the  old  French  towns,  and  giving  a  miserable  light. 
It  is  proper,  therefore,  to  be  provided  with  a 
lantern  of  your  own.  These  are  made  of  paper, 
and  sold  for  a  few  pence  in  the  shops,  where  you 
also  buy  a  two-inch  candle.  They  shut  up  some- 
thing like  an  accordion,  and  go  in  the  pocket. 
It  is  almost  imperative  on  everybody  to  carry  a 
light  of  this  kind  after  dark,  "to  show  you  are 
not  a  thief:"  a  person  stands  a  chance  of  being 
taken  up  by  the  watchmen,  if  he  is  found  without 
one.  As  we  left  the  circus,  these  little  beacons 
were  seen  going  away  in  all  directions,  and  the  effect  was  good. 
There  was  an  eclipse  of  the  moon  that  night,  which,  I  presume, 
may  have  kept  the  dogs  quiet,  for  they  were  lying  about  all  over 
the  road,  and  the  lanterns  were  of  additional  use  in  preventing  one 
from  treading  upon  or  tumbling  over  them.  They  are  said  not  to 
attack  people  carrying  lights,  but  to  be  very  troublesome  to  those 
whom  they  meet  in  the  dark.  Hence,  for  all  reasons,  a  lantern  is 
advisable.  With  this  in  one  hand,  and  a  jagged  stone  in  the 
other,  the  dogs  may  be  set  at  tolerable  defiance.  There  is,  how- 
ever, a  story  told  in  Cralata,  of  their  having  torn  down  a  tipsy 
English  sailor  one  night,  and  left  nothing  but  his  bones  to  tell  the 
tale  in  the  morning.  The  dogs  about  Tophane,  with  those  at 
Scutari,  are,  I  believe,  the  most  savage  animals  in  Constantinople. 


CHAPTER  Vm. 

THE  GUN-FA CTOBY  — THE  MINT  —  STAMP A'S  SHOP. 

I  WENT,  one  morning,  with  Mr.  Taylor,  to  see  the  gun-factory, 
at  Tophane.  The  buildings  are  beautifully  situated  on  the  very 
edge  of  the  Bo.sphorus ;  and  the  capabilities  for  carrying  out  the 
manufacture  of  every  part  of  a  perfect  piece  of  artillery,  including 
the  carriage,  of  first-rate  order.  One  of  the  directors  —  a  Pacha  — 
was  on  the  premises ;  he  spoke  English,  having  been  educated  at 
Woolwich ;  and  was  superintending  the  paving  with  wood  of  a 
portion  of  the  factory,  after  the  English  fashion.  All  the  works 
for  turning,  boring,  polishing,  stamping,  &c.,  were  in  full  activity; 
some  of  the  cannon  were  of  an  enormous  size ;  larger,  indeed,  than 
any  I  remember  to  have  seen  at  home.  The  engines  and  ma- 
chinery at  work  had  been  made  by  Maudsley  and  Nasmyth  of 
Manchester ;  and  put  up  under  Mr.  Taylor's  superintendence. 
He  gave  the  Turkish  workmen  a  good  character  for  intelligence 
and  a  wi.sh  to  oblige ;  certainly,  they  all  appeared  civil,  and 
anxious  to  follow  his  directions. 

Outside  the  factory  a  poor  old  mangy  dog  was  lying  asleep 
in  the  sun.  I  was  told  that  he  was  a  sort  of  pensioner  on  the 
cstablLsliiiiont,  and  treated  with  groat  respect.  To  ensure  this, 
fear  and  love  had  equal  force.  For  a  careless  soldier  had  once 
cut  at  liim  with  a  sword,  for  which  he  was  imprisoned,  by  the  Sul- 
tan's orders,  until  the  animal  got  well  again  ;  and  since  that  day, 
it  may  be  supposed  that  he  had  never  been  in  any  way  molested. 

From  here  we  crossed  over  to  Stamboul,  and  went  to  the  Mint. 


A   M3NTH   AT   CONSTANXISOPIiBi  81 

The  arrangements  here  for  refining^  j^ting,  and  striking,  are 
equally  admirable,  and  much  of  the  machinery  is  readily  shown  to 
the  visitor,  which,  I  understood^  ia  noi  exhibited  in  London.  It  is, 
ao-ain,  all  !]^glish ;  ani  one  lathe  that  attracted  my  attention 
was  an  old  neighbor,  hiding  been  made  at  the  Esher  Copper 
Mills^^^  " 

Tli^'^Hf5^i'*kish  coinage  was  a  very  wretched  sttrte  of  things 
—  woi-se  than  the  French.  The  people  themselves  appeared  some- 
times bothered  to  tell  the  value  of  the  various  piastre  pieces  ;  and 
the  paras  —  the  smallest  of  th  .r  coins,  twenty  of  them  being 
about  equal  to  a  peiyiy  —  were  ittle  scales  of  metal,  which  might, 
to  all  appearance,  have  been  picked  off  the  top  of  a  large  peri- 
winkle. The  five-piastre  pieces  —  of  the  same  size,  but  of  gold  — 
were  mere  spangles,  and  mostly  had  a  hole  bored  through  them,  by 
which  they  had  been  hung  to  the  women's  hair,  or  dresses.  At 
last,  all  the  money  got  so  bad  and  deteriorated,  and  "smashing" 
was  carried  on  to  such  an  extent,  that  Mr.  Taylor  received  orders 
to  get  in  order  and  set  up  a  beautiful  English  engine,  which  Red- 
shed  Pacha  had  formerly  imported  ;  and  the  office  of  chief  engraver 
was  given  to  Mr.  Robertson,  who  had  studied  under  3Ir.  Wyon. 
To  the  talent  of  this  gentleman  the  Turks  are  indebted  for  their 
present  beautiful  coinage.  The  hundred  piastre-piece  is  as  hand- 
some as  our  sovereign ;  and  even  the  little  copper  paras  are  pretty 
coins.  Gold  is,  however,  not  often  met  with  in  general  circu- 
lation. There  is  a  heavy  agio  on  it,  and  the  best  money  the  trav- 
eller can  carry  here,  a  almost  all  over  the  world,  is  the  old 
Spanish  pillar  dollar.  Its  relative  value  is  constantly  changing. 
Last  year  it  was  said  to  be  worth  24  piastres ;  but  when  a  traveller 
endeavors  to  keep  his  accounts  straight  in  English  sums,  calculated 
from  Spanish  money,  changed  into  Turkish,  a  certain  loss  may  be 
reckoned  on. 

Mr.  Robertson  was  engaged  upon  a  medal  to  commemorate  the 
redecoration  of  the  mosque  of  St.  Sophia,  and  it  promised  to  be  an 
admirable  piece  of  work.  He  said  that  he  had  experienced  some 
7 


82  A  MOKTII   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

little  difficulty  in  the  general  coinage,  in  copying  tlie  elaborate 
cipher  of  the  Sultan  —  the  toara,  as  it  is  called  —  which  comprises 
his  names,  titles,  and  other  matters ;  but  that  the  Turks  had  told 
him  afterwards  he  had  stteeeeded  wDijiderfully  well.  This  sign, 
whicli  takes  the  place  of  the  head  on'^the  coinage,  and  the  royal 
arms  generally,  will  be  readily  ret(jgni/.L'd  by  all  those-'i^p^i^^^ye 
visited  the  East. 

AVe  came  home  through  Galata,  as  usual,  and  tliis  day  I  was 
introduced  to  another  great  feat'-ire  of  Constantinople,  and  more 
especially  a  Frank  one ;  I  allude  to  Stampa's  shop.  Everybody 
knows  Stanipa ;  in  fact,  he  may  be  considered  as  the  embodiment 
of  Pera  and  Galata;  and  not  to  have  met  him,  would  have  shown 
a  want  of  connections  and  investigation,  which  ought  to  preclude 
anybody  from  speaking  of  Constantinople  as  a  place  they  were 
acquainted  with.  Stampa  is  not  an  P]nglishman,  but  he  speaks 
our  language  like  a  native ;  so  does  his  son,  who  was  educated  in 
London ;  so  does  everybody  you  find  about  his  establishment, 
whether  they  belong  to  it  or  not.  His  shop  is  a  marvellous  depot 
of  everytliing  you  want.  He  supplies  you,  with  e([ual  readiness, 
with  a  i)ot  of  Atkinson's  bear's  grease,  or  a  bottle  of  Tennant's  pale 
ale,  a  packet  of  Gillott's  ])ens,  a  dozen  of  Day  and  ^Martin's  black- 
ing, or  a  box  of  IloUoway's  pills.  You  want  some  Harvey's 
Sauce  —  you  find  it  at  Stampa's;  you  do  not  know  the  address 
of  some  merchant  in  Galata  —  Stampa  will  tell  you  directly; 
you  are  uncertain  about  tlie  different  d  )artures  of  the  steamers 
—  Stampa  has  all  the  information  at  his  fingers'  ends,  or,  if  he  by 
chance  has  not,  his  clever  son  is  a  walking  ]5radshaw.  For  good 
razors,  (of  whicli  I  hold  Ileiffor's  Sliefiiold  ones,  at  a  shillinfi', 
to  be  the  best,  and  accordingly  recommended  him  to  lay  in 
a  stock  for  future  demands,)  solar  lamps,  cutlerj-,  London  ink, 
pasteboard,  pins  and  needles,  Stilton  cheeses,  gutta  percha,  otto  of 
roses,  sponge,  Wind.sor  soap,  and  now([ua's  mixture,  there  is  no 
shop  like  Stampa's.  Even  for  refreshment,  when  Mr.  Taylor  and 
myself  felt  hungry,  after  a  good  morning's  work,  Stampa  offered  to 


A    MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOPLE.  83 

procure  us  lunch.  He  sent  over  the  way  to  a  mystic  restaura- 
teur's for  some  food ;  and  there,  in  Galata,  with  two  tubs  for 
chairs,  and  the  counter  of  his  back  shop  for  a  table,  within  ten 
minutes  we  had  such  a  meal  of  rump-steaks,  potatoes,  pickles  and 
bottled  stout,  that  the  oldest  habitue  of  the  Ilainbow,  or  more  fas- 
tidious member  of  the  "  Steaks,"  since  Peg  Woffington's  days  of 
presidency,  might  have  envied  us.  We  sat,  that  day,  in  Stampa's 
back  shop,  much  longer,  I  expect,  than  any  customers  had  done 
before.  Old  stories,  new  anecdotes,  and  recognitions  of  mutual 
acquaintances,  engrossed  us  in  conversation ;  so  much  so,  indeed, 
that  Constantinople  faded  away  like  a  dissolving  view ;  and  when 
we  turned  from  our  dark  banqueting-room  into  the  bright  glare  of 
the  street,  we  were  almost  astonished,  for  the  moment,  at  not 
finding  ourselves  amidst  omnibuses,  policemen,  cabs,  and  English 
passengers,  instead  of  the  motley,  dirty,  polyglot  population  of 
bustling  Galata.  ,  • 

I  achieved  a  triumph  that  day  in  finding  my  way  back  to  the 
hotel,  from  Stampa's,  by  myself.  The  road  lay  round  the  base 
of  the  large  Genoese  tower,  which  forms  so  conspicuous  an  object 
in  the  panorama  from  the  Golden  Horn.  It  is  now  used  as  a 
watch-station,  to  give  the  alarm,  in  case  of  fire,  and  there  is  another 
high  tower  in  Stamboul,  similarly  serviceable. 

When  I  reached  the  Hotel  d'Europe,  there  was  a  to-do  in  the 
street.  The  house  just  above,  which  belonged  to  an  English  tailor, 
named  Semple,  had  been  robbed  in  his  absence,  and  many  pieces 
of  cloth  carried  away.  The  police  were  sending  off  emissaries 
in  all  directions,  but  I  did  not  hear  that  the  goods  were  ever 
recovered.  In  fact,  in  the  present  badly  arranged  social  system  of 
Constantinople,  it  is  wonderful  how  anything  is  ever  known  at  all, 
or  found  out,  even  by  the  neighbors,  from  misery  to  murder. 

I  met  a  nice  little  girl,  that  evening,  at  the  house  of  an  English 
friend,  wlio  was  not  yet  seven  years  old,  and  spoke  Greek, 
Turkish,  Italian,  French,  and  a  little  Armenian.  This  tiny  Lev- 
antine instructed  me,  with  the  aid  of  an  apron  and  some  pocket 


84 


A  MONTH  AT  CONSTANTINOPLE. 


handkerchiefs,  in  the  art  and  mystery  of  putting  on  the  yashmak 
and  now  I  believe  I  could  attire  a  Turkish  lady  in  that  head-dress, 
with  any  slave  of  the  hareem. 


Turkish  Laot  at  Hon. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  SERAGLIO  AND  XHE  MOSQUES. 

The  great  mosques  of  Constantinople,  the  Sultan's  palace,  and 
certain  of  the  important  buildings,  can  only  be  seen  by  means  of  a 
permission,  ov  firman,  granted  by  the  Sultan  or  by  a  Pacha.  This 
is  a  very  expensive  affair,  costing  some  pounds,  English.  Visitors, 
therefore,  see  these  lions  as  follows :  a  speculating  valet-de-place 
procures  the  firman,  and  then  goes  about  to  the  different  hotels 
with  a  list,  to  which  the  tourists  add  their  names.  By  this  means 
the  expense  is  lessened  to  a  comparatively  small  sum,  as  a  firman 
admits  any  number  of  persons;  and  the  enterprising  dragoman 
contrives  to  pocket  two  or  three  hundred  piastres  into  the  bargain. 

We  formed  a  large  party  with  our  firman  —  French,  English, 
and  American,  from  the  different  hotels,  and  ships  in  the  port ;  one 
of  the  finest  of  the  latter  being  the  Jamestown  —  the  vessel  that 
brought  the  corn  from  America  to  Ireland  during  the  famine.  Our 
party  collected  at  the  landing-place  of  Bagdshe  Kapu,  the  "  Garden 
Gate,"  and  then  we  first  proceeded  to  the  seraglio.  At  the  door 
we  were  obliged  to  leave  our  shoes ;  and  we  were  then  admitted  to 
the  royal  apartment,  the  Sultan  and  the  court  being  at  one  of  the 
summer  palaces  on  the  Bosphorus.  There  was  not  anything  very 
striking  in  the  palace.  All  sorts  of  styles  and  fashions  were  oddly 
enough  jumbled  together  in  the  building  and  furniture ;  and  the 
annoyance  I  have  always  felt  at  being  dragged  round  a  "  show- 
place,"  and  called  upon  to  admire  things  one  cannot  care  about, 
did  not  improve  the  sight.  "With  the  exception  of  a  few  odd- 
7# 


86  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

shaped  panels  and  Turkish  inscriptions  on  the  walls,  there  was 
very  little  oriental  appearance  about  tlie  palace.  Tlio  baths  were 
the  best  portion  of  it,  and  they  were  beautifully  fitted  up  with  pol- 
ished marbles,  and  arransjed  on  the  plan  of  tlie  pu])lic  ones,  but  on 
a  much  smaller  scale.  We  were  next  introduced  into  the  women's 
apartment  —  the  sacred  hareem  —  but  the  beauties  had  flown. 
The  rooms  did  not  differ  from  tho.se  of  the  ceneral  palace,  with  tlie 
exception  that  all  the  windows  were  covered  up  with  fine  wooden 
lattice.  Tlie  poor  inmates  had  a  long  gallery  to  take  exercise  in 
during  bad  weather.  A  great  many  engravings  had  beon  framed 
along  the  wall  to  amuse  them.  Amonj^st  these,  I  noticed  Turner's 
Ancient  and  3Io(l(3rn  Italy;  Stanfield's  Wreckers;  a  picture  of 
Grace  Darling  going  off  to  the  wreck  of  the  steamer,  with  many  of 
Horace  A'^ernet's  Arab  pieces,  and  Napoleon  tableaux.  From  the 
gallery,  we  went  down  to  the  hareem  gardens,  wliere  tlicre  was 
nothing  to  observe  more  remarkable  tluin  we  had  seen  in  tlie 
palace.  The  flowers  were  of  a  very  ordinary  description,  and 
when  I  call  to  mind  the  use  said  to  be  made  of  them  in  oriental 
lovedetters,  I  thought  tliat  the  correspondents  must  be  sometimes 
driven  for  symbols  to  express  their  ideas.  Possibly,  however, 
the  Sultan  had  restrained  their  growth  on  purpose,  as  a  grand 
enemy  to  education.  There  were  .'^ome  dry  fountains,  and  some 
ponds  of  muddy  and  green  water;  but  nothing  so  good  as  might  be 
seen  in  the  pleasure-grounds  of  an  English  country  mansion. 

Leaving  the  gardens,  we  went  on  to  the  royal  stables,  and 
these  were  ei^ually  disajipointing.  Tlio  arrangements  were,  to 
English  eyes,  poor  and  shabby;  nor  did  I  notice  anything  remarka- 
ble about  the  horses.  In  an  outer  court  two  ostriches  were  stalking 
about,  followed  by  a  gazelle  ;  and  a  camel  lying  down  with  its  bur- 
then, gave  a  sort  of  eastern  air  to  the  scene ;  but,  even  with  tliese 
adjuncts,  the  whole  of  the  .«eraglio  and  its  a[)pendages  struck  me 
as  being  an  uncommon  failure.  3Iore  interesting  was  an  old 
armory,  to  which  we  were  next  taken,  containing  many  ancient 
and  curious  suits  of  plate  and  chain  combined.     There  must  have 


A    MONTH    AT    CONSTANTINOPLE.  87 

been  a  wide  difference  in  the  appearance  of  the  troops,  so  clad, 
from  that  of  the  untidy,  unmeaning  costume  of  the  present  Turkish 
soldiers. 

We  saw  many  royal  tombs  that  day  —  more  than  I  cared  to 
make  notes  of,  in  fact.  Some  we  were  permitted  to  enter,  and 
others  were  only  to  be  inspected  by  peeping  through  the  iron-work 
of  the  windows.  I  was  most  pleased  with  the  burial-place  of  the 
Sultan  Mahnioud,  about  which,  and  the  two  little  fezzes,  IMr. 
Thackeray  has  told  —  and  told  so  well  —  the  touching  story,  that 
I  will  not  allude  to  it  further.  At  last  we  came  to  the  porch  of 
St.  Sophia,  and,  after  all  our  shoes  had  been  disposed  of,  we  were 
admitted.  I  should  state,  perhaps,  that  it  is  not  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  a  visitor  to  take  off  his  shoes.  He  may,  if  he  pleases,  put 
a  pair  of  slippers  over  them,  or  draw  off  an  outer  pair;  the  great 
point  seems  to  be  that  the  sole  which  is  ordinarily  in  contact  with 
common  earth  should  not  be  allowed  to  touch  holy  or  exclusive 
ground.  An  American  who  was  of  our  party,  and  had  turned  out 
uncommonly  smart  in  a  pair  of  Parisian  trowsers,  with  straps 
attached  to  them,  was  compelled  to  retire  into  remote  corners  and 
take  tlicni  off  altogether,  before  he  could  rid  himself  of  his  glazed 
boots. 

I  have  often  tried  to  determine  coolly  whether  I  was  out  of 
tenij)cr  this  day;  or  whether,  in  reality,  all  the  places  the  firman 
permitted  us  to  see  were  not  failures;  or,  rather,  had  been 
so  ridiculously  written  up  and  over-praised,  that  expectation 
could  not  jiossibly  be  gratified.  I  incline  to  think  that  tin; 
latter  was  the  case.  The  vaunted  Mosquo  of  St.  Sojjhia,  in 
spite  of  the  twenty  columns  allotted  to  its  description  in  Murray, 
did  not,  in  any  way,  excite  my  astonishment.  Grand  it  certainly 
is ;  0!-,  rather,  very  large  indeed ;  and  there  is  a  quantity  of 
gilding  and  fine  work  about  it,  but  it  does  not  cause  you  to 
liohl  your  breath  on  first  seeing  it,  as  does  St.  Peter's,  or  Milan 
Cathedral. 


88  A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

The  floor  was  covered  with  fine  matting,  and,  hung  about,  in 
lines,  were  thousands  of  lumps,  which  certainly,  when  lighted, 
must  eclipse  Vauxhall;  and  this,  I  am  convinced,  is  the  honest 
notion  they  suggest.  There  were  also  ostrich's  eggs,  and  horso 
switches,  as  I  had  scon  at  Smyrna,  with  bundles  of  theatrical 
tinsel.  All  about  were  enormous  bales  of  carpets,  .Spread  over  the 
matting  in  the  winter,  when  the  cold  of  Constantinople  is  fright- 
fully severe ;  and  at  each  of  the  four  corners,  at  the  base  of  the 
dome,  had  been  hoisted  an  enormous  round  shield  of  wood  and 
canvass,  possibly  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  frightfully  out  of  place, 
on  which  were  inscribed  some  sacred  sentences.  On  going  up 
stairs,  into  the  galleries,  the  effect  of  the  number  of  people  at 
prayers  down  below  was  certainly  very  singular.  There  were 
some  scores,  and  they  knelt  in  rows  across  the  body  of  the  mosque, 
with  their  faces  towards  Mecca,  and  were  constantly  bobbing  up 
and  down,  touching  the  gi'ound  with  their  foreheads,  and  springing 
up  again  on  their  heels,  in  a  ludicrous  fashion.  I  have  seen 
Chinese  acrobats  at  a  circus  commence  a  gymnastic  dance  in  a 
somewhat  similar  manner. 

From  the  I^Iosque  of  St.  Sophia  we  went  on  to  that  of  Achmct 
—  the  only  one  that  has  six  minarets.  It  appeared  to  me  to  be  as 
largo  a  building  as  tlie  former  one ;  but  was  not  so  rich  in  gilding, 
although,  they  say,  groat  treasures  are  deposited  therein.  I  must 
confess  that  the  objects  which  made  tlie  principal  impression  upon 
all  our  party  were  two  enormous  wax-caiidl(\s,  at  least  three  feet 
in  circumference,  set  u[)  on  each  sidfe  of  what  we  should  call  the 
altar. 

There  were  many  m()S([nos  to  bo  seen  afterwards,  including  that 
of  the  magnilicent  Sidciman  ;  but  l)cmetri  quietly  told  me  that 
they  were  all  after  tiie  same  model,  and  that  wo  had  seen  the  best. 
So  I  declined  visiting  any  luorL',  and  hiring  a  scampisli  horse  on 
the  adjoining  hijipodrome,  at  a  ddllar  for  as  long  as  I  pleased,  I 
clattered  about  the  streets,  and  lost  my  way,  and  got  into  scrapes 


A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


89 


■without  the  benefit  of  explanation,  until,  about  five  in  the  after- 
noon, I  was  not  sorry  to  find  myself  once  more  clambering  up  the 
rugged  street  of  Galata. 


ClflCIHO  Cbbtisb. 


CHAPTER   X. 


THE  SULTAN'S  VISIT  TO  MOSQUE.   -THE  DANCING   DERVISHES. 


Every  Friday  the  Sultan  goes  to  mosque  publii'ly.  It  is  not 
known,  until  the  very  morning,  ■which  establishment  he  means  to 
patronize ;  but  your  dragoman  has  secret  channels  of  information, 
and  he  always  informs  you  in  time  to  "  assist  "  at  the  ceremony. 

The  first  time  I  went,  Abdul  ^ledjid  had  selected  for  his  devo- 
tions the  mosque  of  Beglerbeg,  a  village  on  the  Asiatic  side  of 
the  Bosphorus,  the  temple  of  which  stands  in  the  same  relation  and 
bearing  to  St.  Sophia  —  to  use  a  very  familiar  simile  —  as  lloth- 
erhithe  church  does  to  St.  Paul's.  It  was  a  perfect  English  morn- 
ing—  foggy  and  cold,  (Oct.  7,)  with  nluddy  streets  and  spitting 
rain.  I  cro.*.-:ed  into  Asia  —  one  learns  to  speak 
of  Asia,  at  Constautinoi)le,  as  he  would  do  of 
the  borougli  —  in  a  two-oared  cai{pie,  and  on 
landing  went  up  to  the  mos(|ue,  which  is  clo.se 
to  the  shore. 

A  crowd  of  people,  consisting  principally  of 
females,  had  collected  before  the  miisi[ue,  and  a 
square  space  was  kept  ])y  the  .soldiers.  Some 
little  courtesy  was  shown  to  visitors,  as  the 
Franks  were  permitted  to  cross  this  enclosure  to 
a  corner  close  to  the  door,  by  which  the  Sultan 
was  to  enter. 

lie  wa.s  not  very  punctual  to  his  time ;  but 
there  was  enough  to  amuse  the  visitors ;  more  especially  in  the 


A   MONTH    AT   COXSTANTINOPLE. 


91 


arrival  of  the  women,  who  came  up  as  near  as  they  could  to  the 
building,  in  all  sorts  of  odd  vehicles.  Several  were  like  those  I 
had  seen  on  the  bridge  at  Pera,  but  one  was  very  fine  indeed.  It 
was  more  like  a  wagon  than  a  carriage,  and  painted  bright  blue, 
with  red  wheels  and  awning.  In  it  were  five  ladies  of  the  Sultan's 
hareem,  very  gayly  dressed,  and  laughing  loudly  as  the  vehicle 


.-»      jt:^ag£firs.u 


shook  them  about  over  the  rugged  road.  It  was  drawn  by  two 
buffaloes,  and  they  had  a  singular  arrangement  of  worsted  tufts 
over  their  heads,  of  various  bright  colors.  This  was  the  first 
Wugon  of  the  kind  I  had  seen,  but  I  afterwards  found  them  veiy 
common.  Other  women  were  on  foot,  and  a  numberof  these  had 
collected  upon  a  hillock  under  a  tree,  where  they  talked  and  quar- 
relled incessantly.  One  very  pale  and  handsome  girl  arrived 
alone,  in  a  car,  preceded  by  two  or  three  attendants;  and,  whilst 
trying  to  pass  a  narrow  thoroughfare  amongst  the  other  vehicles, 
the  wheel  of  her  own  got  smashed  to  pieces.  She  was  then  close 
to  the  Frank  visitors,  and,  as  she  appeared  likely  to  be  overturned, 
two  or  three  gentlemen  from  Misseri's  hotel  ran  forward  to  offer 
their  assistance.  In  a  minute  they  were  put  back  by  the  attend- 
ants, who  could  not  think  of  allowing  their  mistress  to  be  touched, 


92 


A   MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


even  from  chance,  by  a  Christian.  The  carriage  was  j)ropped  up, 
as  well  as  it  could  be ;  and  its  inmate,  wlio  had  remained  perfectly- 
tranquil  during  the  accident,  fixed  her  large  eyes  on  the  enclosure, 
and  never  moved  them  again  to  the  right  or  left. 

The  mob  kept  increasing.  Peo- 
ple brought  petitions  to  give  to  the 
Sultan  when  he  arrived,  and  were 
marshalled  in  a  heap  near  the  door 
by  a  cavass,  or  policeman,  who  had 
a  whip  in  his  hand  to  enforce  obe- 
dience and  order;  men  with  cakes 
and  sweetmeats  loitered  about,  and 
dogs  got  into  the  enclosure,  and 
were  chased  about  with  cries,  as 
might  have  happened  in  England 
on  a  race-course.  At  last  the  sound 
of  music  was  heard,  and  the  soldiers 
Then  others  came  round  the  corner 
of  a  narrow  street,  in  marching  order,  followed  by  the  band,  which 
played  a  triumphal  kind  of  air,  which  the  Sultan  was  said  to  be 
remarkably  fond  of  A  dead  silence  now  prevailed,  and  wc  were 
reproved  by  the  police,  even  for  talking.  Next  arrived  a  (juaiitity 
of  grooms,  leading  horses,  and,  lastly,  the  Sultan  Abdul  Medjid 
himself,  upon  an  Arab  charger,  followed  by  his  j)achas  and  otlier 
great  people.  He  is  only  six-and-twcnty,  but  he  looks  at  least  ten 
years  older,  his  life  having  been  somewhat  "fast."  Ho  was 
dressed  in  a  plain  European  blue  frock  coat  and  trowscrs,  with  tlic 
fez,  and  did  not  at  all  come  up  to  the  gori^eou.s  gentleman  I  had 
pictured  from  my  cliildhood,  more  beautiful  to  look  uj)on  than 
Blue  ]5eard,  and  more  dazzling  than  tlie  sun  at  mid-day,  with  gold 
and  jewels;  I  was  disappointed  at  feeling  no  terror  as  he  ap- 
proached. Nobody  was  bows:trung,  nor  were  any  heads  cut  off. 
The  ])uke  of  Wellington,  riding  down  to  the  house  on  a  fine  after- 
noon, has  produced  more  excitement. 


made  ready  to  present  arms. 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


93 


When  he  got  to  the  door  of  the  mosque,  the  people  held  their 
petitions,  which  were  like  briefs,  up  in  the  air.  An  attendant 
collected  them,  and  then  the  Sultan  entered,  whilst  the  household 
gave  two  loud  cries,  meant  as  cheers  in  his  honor.  The  soldiers 
then  stood  at  ease,  the  enclosure  was  broken  up,  and  the  sight  was 
over.  A  dream  of  the  Arabian  Nights  had  been  somewhat  harshly 
dispelled.  I  had  seen  a  Sultan  —  a  great  monarch,  holding  as 
high  a  rank  as  the  father  of  Aladdin's  Princess  Badcoulbadour  — 
and  but  for  his  fez,  he  might  have  passed  for  a  simple  foreign  gen- 
tleman from  Leicester  Square. 

I  have  said  it  was  Friday,  and  so,  on  my  return,  I  had  ait 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  dancing  dervishes  at  Pera.  They  exhibit 
—  for  it  is  rather  a  sight  than  a  solemnity  —  on  this  day,  as  well  as 
on  Tuesday,  in  every  week.  Their  convent  is  facing  the  scrap  of 
burying  ground  on  the  road  from  Galata  to  Pera,  and  any  one  may 
witness  their  antics.  Having  put  off  our  shoes,  we  entered  an 
octagonal  building,  with  galleries  running  round  it,  and  standing- 
places  under  them,  surrounding  the  railed 
enclosure  in  which  the  dervishes  were  to 
dance,  or  rather  spin.  One  division  of 
this  part  of  the  building  was  pat  aside  for 
Christians,  the  others  were  filled  with 
counnon  people  and  children.  When  I 
arrived,  one  old  dervish,  in  a  green  dress, 
was  sitting  at  one  point  of  the  room,  and 
twenty-four,  in  white,  were  opposite  to 
him.  A  flute  and  drum  played  some 
very  dreary  music  in  the  gallery.  At  a 
given  signal  they  all  fell  flat  on  their 
faces,  with  a  noise  and  precision  that 
would  have  done  honor  to  a  party  of  pan- 
tomimists ;  and  then  they  all  rose  and  walked  slowly  round,  with 
their  arms  folded  across  their  breasts,  following  the  old  green 
dervish,  who  marched  at  their  head,  and  bowing  twice  very  gravely 


fSM' 


94 


A    MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


to  the  place  where  ho  had  been  sitting  and  to  the  spot  opposite  to  it. 
They  performed  this  round  two  or  three  times.  Then  the  old  man 
sat  down,  and  tlie  others,  pulling  off  their  cloaks,  appeared  in  a 
species  of  long  petticoat,  and,  one  after  the  other,  began  to  s{)in. 
They  connnenced  revolving  precisely  as  though  they  were  waltzing 
by  themselves  ;  first  keeping  their  hands  crnssiMl  on  their  breast, 
and  then  extending  them,  the  pahn  of  tlie  light  liaml  and  the  back 
of  tliP  left  being  upwards.      At  last  they  all  got  into  play,  and,  as 


they  went  round  and  round,  they  put  me  in  mind  of  the  grand 
party  ve  have  seen  on  the  toj)  of  an  organ,  where  a  cavalier  seul 
revolves  by  himself,  and  bows  as  Ik;  faces  the  spectators. 

They  went  on  for  a  long  time  wiliiout  stopping  —  a  quarter  of 
an  hour,  j)erhaps,  or  twenty  minutes.  There  was  something  inex- 
pressively sly  and   oflensivc   in  the  appearance  of  these  men,  and 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE, 


95 


the  desire  one  felt  to  hit  them  hard  in  the  face  became  uncomfort- 
ably dominant.  At  the  end  of  their  revolutions,  they  made 
another  obeisance  to  the  old  man,  and  all  this  time  the  players  in 
the  orchestra  howled  forth  a  kind  of  hymn.  This  ceremony  was 
repeated  three  or  four  times,  and  then  they  all  sat  down  again,  and 
put  their  cloaks  on,  whilst  another  dervish,  who  had  walked  round 
and  round  amongst  the  dancers,  wliilst  they  were  spinning,  sang  a 
solo.  During  this  time,  their  faces  were  all  close  to  the  ground. 
This  done,  they  rose  and  marched  before  the  old  green  dervish  once 
more,  kissing  his  hand  as  they  passed  and  the  service  concluded, 
occupying,  altogether,  about  three  quarters  of  an  liour. 


Coming  out,  I  saw  the  tombs  of  their  chiefs,  and  bought  a  print 
of  their  funeral   ceremonies,  rudely  lithographed,   of  which   the 


96  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

accompanying  illustration  is  a  faithful  copy.  I  also  went  into  their 
kitchen.  One  of  their  brethren  was  preparing  a  mighty  pillaff  of 
rice  for  their  refreshment ;  and  Demetri  told  me  that  they  were  all 
wonderful  drinkers.  Their  possessions  at  Pera  are  very  valuable  ; 
and,  besides  this,  many  of  them  are  in  good  ways  of  business  as 
shopkeepers  in  Stamboul.  I  suppose,  altogether,  a  greater  set  of 
rascals  do  not  exist ;  and  I  came  away  not  quite  sure  as  to  whether 
I  had  been  most  amused  or  irritated  at  their  performance. 


CHAPTER  XT. 

.  LETTER  OF  INTRODUCTION  AGAIN.  — A  PARTY  AT  PERA. 

A  DAY  or  two  after  my  first  failures,  I  began  to  think  once  more 
of  trying  to  deliver  my  Turkish  letter  of  introduction,  and  therefore 
went  again  to  the  Seraglio  Court. 

On  our  way  we  called  at  the  Arms  Bazaar,  which  is  only  open 
in  tlie  morning.  It  well  repays  a  visit,  for  some  of  the  weapons 
are  very  picturesque  and  beautiful,  and  the  people  about  have  a 
more  purely  oriental  character  than  in  the  general  bazaars.  A 
great  many  things  were  being  sold  by  auction  —  pipes,  swords,  and 
pieces  of  cloth.  The  seller  held  them  up  in  the  air,  and  walked 
along  the  passages  crying  out  the  last  price.  The  merchants  asked 
outrageous  sums,  generally  speaking,  for  the  arms.  The  cheapest  I 
saw,  were  two  long  pistols,  with  elaborate  silvered  work  about  them, 
which  I  could  have  got  for  four  hundred  piastres,  (about  £4,  in 
round  numbers.) 

I  was  not  more  fortunate  at  the  Seraglio  than  before,  with  my 
ill-fated  letter.  It  was  sent  about  in  the  same  manner,  and  at  last 
I  was  assured,  for  certain,  that  tlie  effendi  was  at  the  Arsenal.  As 
I  had  a  letter  for  the  chief  of  the  Fez  manufactory,  up  the  Golden 
Horn,  this  was  not  much  out  of  my  way,  so  I  started  forth  again, 
taking  a  caique.  The  manufoctory  is  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Lan glands,  a  Scotchman.  Besides  fezzes,  an  excellent  cloth  is 
made  here,  in  large  quantities,  and  the  arrangements  for  carding, 
dyeing,  weaving,  knitting,  &c.,  are  complete.  The  chief  steam- 
engine  is  from  Dundee,  and  the  more  delicate  machinery  from 
8# 


98  A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

Verviers,  in  Belgium  ;  that  for  knitting  the  fozzes  round  their  blocks 
is  very  beautiful.  This  is  a  government  factory,  but  I  did  not 
hear  that  it  is  a  very  lucrative  affair.  The  French  manufacture 
the  fezzes  at  a  cheaper  rate  than  the  Turks,  and  find  a  readier  sale 
for  them.  A  real  fez,  with  a  heavy  purple  silk  tassel,  costs  two  or 
three  dollars.  Those  we  see  in  some  of  the  hat  shops  of  London 
are  not  the  thing.  They  are  of  too  bright  a  color  —  too  poor  in 
'  substance ;  and  the  flossy  tassel  is  always  in  a  tangle  ;  every  thread 
of  silk  should  hang  parallel  and  distinct. 

As  I  waited  in  the  Arsenal,  I  saw  a  large  gang  of  galley-slaves 
at  work,  all  chained  in  pairs ;  and  the  vivid  description  given  in 
Anastatius,  of  the  horrors  of  the  Bagnes  at  Constantinople,  came 
forcibly  to  mind.  These  fellows  were  more  fearful  to  look  at  than 
any  criminals  I  had  ever  seen.  They  were  of  all  nations —  Turks, 
Greeks,  Negroes,  Arabs,  Maltese,  and  Levantines  generally,  and 
filthy  beyond  expression.  They  were  employed  in  drawing  heavy 
timber  to  land,  and  treated  precisely  as  so  many  brutes. 
y^  The  man  who  had  taken  the  letter  into  the  Arsenal  came  back 
^  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  told  us  that  the  effondi  was  over  at  the 
Marine,  a  building  adjacent.  I  sent  it  in  by  a  messenger,  who 
presently  returned,  and  said  that  Sali  Pacha  wished  to  see  me.  I 
was  accordingly  ushered  in,  the  ceremony  of  taking  off  my  shoos 
being  dis^iensed  with,  and  found  this  gentleman,  who  has  an  impor- 
tant }x»st  in  tlie  Turkish  navj^  sitting  on  a  divan  at  the  end  of  a 
large  room,  looking  on  to  tlio  (loldcn  Horn,  and  swinging  the 
string  of  beads,  to  which  I  have  before  alluded.  To  my  deliglit  ho 
spoke  Knglish  perfectly,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  our  metrop- 
olis. We  had  an  agreeable  chat  for  a  few  minutes,  on  comparison 
between  London  and  Staiiiboul ;  and  then  he  took  charge  of  my 
letter,  t(  lling  me  that  tlie  cH'ciuli  was  at  Smyrna,  but  that  he  would 
take  my  address,  and  I  n!i;!;ht  calculate  on  its  being  safely  deliv- 
ered. So  the  dociiuieiit  was  at  last,  to  a  certain  extent,  on  its 
right  mission ;  which,  but  for  this  gcntleiiian's  courtesy,  I  do  not 
suppose  it  would  ever  have  been.     The  trouble  I  had  in  getting 


A    MONTH    AT    CONSTANTINOPLE. 


99 


rid  of  it  may  show  the  difficulty  of  presenting  a  Turkish  letter  of 
introduction.  Stampa  subsequently  told  me  that  it  was. a  wonder 
how  anytliing  in  the  way  of  publicity  or  coiTespondenoe  at  Constan- 
tinople was  managed  at  all,  with  streets  having  no  names,  and 
hundreds  of  people  the  same.  He  said  that  a  post  delivery  was 
unknown.  If  the  people  did  not  go  after  their  letters  they  never 
got  them ;  but  that  sometimes,  even  under  these  circumstances, 
they  got  somebody  else's,  which  appeared  to  answer  just  as  well. 
Amongst  the  Franks  this  is  all  excellently  managed.  There  is  a 
letter-box,  both  for  the  iVustrian  and  French  mails ;  besides  our 
own  steamers.  I  believe  the  Austrian  despatch  is  the  quickest, 
but  the  police  in  that  empire  have  an  ugly  knack  of  opening  all 
the  letters  that  go  througli  their  hands. 

That  evening,  a  few  of  my  kind  English  friends,  resident  at 
Constantinople,  collected  in  a  snug  little  house,  on  the  bold  hill 
beyond  the  large  burying  ground  at  Pera,  and  gave  me  a  dinner  — 
an  honest  English  dinner,  of  joint  and  pudding,  and  goodly  beer. 
It  was  a  pleasant  meeting,  so  far  from  homo.     It  was  capital  to 

hear  K make  tlie  headlands  over  the  Crolden  Horn  echo  again, 

through  tlie  open  windows,  with  a  fine  old  English  sea-ballad,  and 

T laugh  with  sucli  heartiness,  at  the  latest  London  jokes,  that 

his  amiable  wife  told  me  afterwards  she  had  never  known  him  so 
inclined  to  leave  the  East  and  return  again ;  so  nnich  had  we 
etirred  up  his  old  liome  feelings  by  songs  and  stories.  Even 
"  Jeannette  and  Jeannot,"  and  "When  other  lips,"  came  out 
bran  spick-and-span  new;  and  a  scene  from  "Bos  and  Cox," 
played  extenqjore,  with  dreadful  interpolations  and  deficiencies, 
was  pronounced  so  fine  a  thing,  that  I  wonder,  upon  the  strength 
of  the  applause,  the  performers  did  not,  from  that  moment, 
renounce  all  other  pursuits  but  the  drama.  Then  we  had  small 
speeches,  and  homely  toasts ;  not  dismal  conventional  affairs, 
but  little  heartfelt  bits,  that  came  well  into  such  compaiuonship ; 
and  be  sure  that  there  were  many  in  England  to  whose  health  and 
happiness  wo  drank  that  night,  three  thousand  miles  away.     And 


100  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

when  another  guest  arrived  late,  and  told  us,  on  diplomatic 
authority,  that  the  Sultan  had  determined  not  give  up  the  poor 
Hungarian  people  who  had  come  to  him  for  shelter,  there  was  such 
a  thorough-bred  British  cheer,  that  I  think  that  if  the  Emperor  of 
Russia  had  heard  it,  it  would  have  knocked  him  completely  over, 
powerful  gentleman  as  he  is. 

Our  lanterns  glimmered  along  the  street  of  Pera  that  evening 
at  an  unwonted  hour,  quite  astonishing  the  watchmen ;  and  as  we 
crossed  the  great  burying  ground,  the  dogs  were  sleeping  about  it 
so  thickly,  that  they  looked  collecting  like  a  flock  of  sheep.  But 
they  did  not  annoy  us;  on*^e  contrary,  one  poor  animal  followed 
us,  in  a  most  humble  manner,  as  far  as  the  circus ;  when,  prob- 
ably reflecting  that  he  would  overpass  hi|  own  boundaries  if  he 
came  further,  he  gave  a  dismal  howl  of  parting  salutation,  and  was 
immediately  lost  in  the  darkness. 


CH^VPTER  XII. 

THE  B0SPH0RU3. 

All  my  readers  know  that  the  Bosphorus  is  the  broad  stream  of 
sea-water  which  connects  the  Euxine  with  the  Sea  of  Marmora, 
falling  into  the  latter  between  Stamboul  and  Scutari.  It  is  joined 
at  this  point  by  the  "  Sweet  waters  of  Europe,"  which  flow  into 
the  upper  end  of  the  Golden  Horn,  as  the  Liane  may  be  said  to  do 
into  the  Port  of  Boulogne,  to  use  a  familiar  example.  There 
is,  however,  no  tide.  It  is  of  great  importance  to  the  beauties  of 
Constantinople  and  its  neighborhood  that  the  water  is  always  at  the 
same  height. 

The  length  of  the  Bosphorus  is,  at  a  rough  guess,  about  twenty 
miles.  Its  course  is  very  winding ;  its  shores  are  irregular  and 
hilly,  broken  by  small  valleys  or  chines ;  its  banks  are  covered 
with  picturesque  villages,  and  indeed  nearly  all  along  the  water's 
edge  the  line  of  pretty  dwellings  is  unbroken.  It  divides  Europe 
from  Asia,  and  is  the  great  channel  of  communication  between  all 
the  ports  of  the  Black"  Sea  and  the  Mediterranean. 

On  my  first  disengaged  day,  I  arranged  with  a  friend  to  make  a 
little  voyage  up  this  beautiful  stream,  in  a  caique.  He  was 
residing  at  Pera,  and  made  a  bargain  with  two  fellows  to  take  us 
for  the  day  for  forty-five  piastres,  (about  ten  shillings.)  We 
took  a  large  basket  of  food  —  principally  consisting  of  hard  eggs, 
bread,  and  pale  ale  —  and  started  from  the  Tophane  landing-place 
about  nine  a.  m. 

The  morning  was  threatening,  and  it  soon  began  to  rain  in 


102  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

torrents;  so  drenching  our  poor  boatmen,  in  their  flimsy  white 
jackets  and  drawers,  that  we  pulled  up  at  a  little  cluster  of  houses, 
"where  there  was  a  Greek  cafe,  (properly  inscribed  Kixtpiji'dov,  that 
there  might  be  no  mistake  about  it,)  and  waited  until  the  storm 
was  over.  The  room  was  crowded  witli  Creeks,  drinking,  smoking, 
and  playing  cards;  and,  in  an  adjoining  room,  as  many  more 
were  absorbed  in  a  game  of  billiards,  played  with  small  ninepins 
on  the  cloth.  The  master  had  not  much  to  offer  beyond  some 
muddy  coffee,  and  execrably  bad  brandy ;  but  lie  pointed  with 
gi'eat  pride  to  a  shelf  of  English  pickles,  and  bottled  beer,  which, 
he  appeared  to  have  some  vague  notion,  were  always  taken 
together.  There  was  also  a  picture  of  Queen  Victoria,  which  had 
been  presented  gratis,  with  some  newspaper  —  hung  up,  I  suppose, 
in  compliment  to  the  Anglo-Ionian  subjects  who  used  the  house. 
The  noise  and  confusion. were  bewildering,  and  the  intentions  of 
Russia  the  sole  subject  of  conversation.  In  about  half  an  hour  the 
weather  held  up,  and  when  we  embarked  again  tlie  scene  was  most 
lovely.  The  greater  part  of  the  noble  Turkish  fleet  was  lying  at 
anchor  in  the  middle  of  the  stream.  Many  ships  were  sailing 
down  from  the  Euxine  ports,  on  the  sterns  of  some  of  which  it  was 
pleasant  to  read  the  J-'oUy  of  Sunderland,  or  tlie  'Two  Sisters  of 
London  :  all  the  caiques  had  come  out  of  their  nooks  and  corners 
again,  and  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  wet  with  rain,  glistened  in  the 
sunlight  as  tliough  they  had  been  silver.  I  can  conceive  nothing 
so  exciting  as  tlie  approach  to  Constantinople  must  be,  by  the 
Bosphorus,  to  those  travellers  who  have  come  down  the  Danube. 
The  banks  display  every  variety  of  water  scenery.  Now  the  hand- 
some villas  and  palaces  remind  one  of  the  edges  of  an  Italian  lake, 
Como  or  Orta,  for  instance  ;  the  next  turn  of  the  stream  brings  you 
to  rocky  eminences,  with  such  ruins  on  them  as  you  might  see  on 
the  Rliine  or  Moselle  ;  and,  a  little  further  on,  gentle  hills,  covered 
with  hanging  woods,  rise  from  the  stream,  as  they  might  do  any- 
where between  3Iai(leiiliead  Bridge  and  Marlow. 

Our  men  rowed  very  well,  and  we  soon  came  to  a  village  called 


A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  103 

Arnaudkoi,  where  the  current  is  very  rapid,  and  at  times  danger- 
ous, the  banks  forming  the  outer  curve  of  a  sharp  sweep  in  the 
stream.  The  boatmen  here  shipped  their  oars,  for  persons  were  in 
waiting  to  tow  the  caiques  round  the  bend,  it  being  impossible  to 
row  against  the  current.  They  were  here  always,  for  tlie  purpose, 
taking  the  boats  in  turn,  and  they  received  a  few  paras  for  their 
trouble.  Further  on,  the  same  thing  was  repeated,  and,  indeed,  at 
every  sudden  turn,  some  poor  fellows  were  waiting  to  track  us. 

The  houses  continued  uninterruptedly  along  the  shore,  and  they 
were  nearly  all  built  after  the  same  style,  and  of  wood.  Here  and 
there  a  new  edifice  was  being  raised  upon  a  European  model,  but 
it  did  not  appear  to  be  so  much  in  keeping  with  the  scene,  as  the 
green,  and  dove,  and  clay-colored  houses  of  the  Turks.  There  is 
a  lightness  about  these  little  buildings  which  is  very  pretty  and 
effective.  They  look,  from  a  short  distance,  as  if  made  of  card- 
board, and  one  cannot  help  thinking  that  a  single  candle  within 
would  illuminate  their  entire  form,  like  the  cottages  the  Italians 
carry  about  on  their  heads  in  our  streets.  There  are  very  many 
palaces  amongst  them,  belonging  to  the  Sultan  and  the  great 
people  of  his  court ;  and  on  the  summits  of  some  of  the  mountains 
are  royal  kiosks,  wherever  a  beautiful  view  is  to  be  commanded. 
In  the  absence  of  all  artistic  impressions,  the  Turks  are  great 
admirers  of  Nature.  Fields  and  forests,  blue  water  and  skies, 
sunny  air  and  bright  flower-gardens,  are  the  great  sources  of  their 
happiness.  The  state  of  idle,  listless  dreaming,  into  which  the  con- 
templation of  these  objects  throws  them,  they  call  Kef.  We  have 
no  word  that  answers  to  tins ;  busy,  anxious  England  has  not 
allowed  one  to  be  invented.  But  it  is  a  very  pleasant  repose  — 
one  that  teems  with  images  far  more  real  and  beautiful  than  the 
deadly  opium  or  hasheesh  can  call  up ;  and  so,  these  little  kiosks, 
dedicated  to  the  idlest  inactivity  of  mind  and  body,  arc  perched 
about  the  hills  of  tlie  Bosphorus,  and  there  the  Turk  dreams  away 
his  leisure  time,  drinking  in  the  bright  and  lovely  prospects  around 


104  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

him,  with  only  the  bubbling  of  the  narghile  to  assist  rather  than 
intrude  upon  his  unstrained  contemplations. 

With  respect  to  the  hasheesh,  of  which  I  have  just  spoken,  a 
•word  or  two  may  not  be  out  of  place.  I  had  been  so  excited  by 
the  accounts  I  had  read  of  its  effects  in  "  Monte-Cristo,"  that  I 
was  very  anxious  to  try  some ;  and  Demetri  bought  me  samples  of 
two  or  three  different  preparations  of  it,  somewhere  on  the  sly. 
One  sort  was  like  greenish  candy ;  another  was  of  the  same  color, 
but  soft,  and  in  a  tin  box ;  another  was  dark,  and  resembled  black- 
currant jam ;  and  a  fourth  was  in  powder.  All  tasted  sufficiently 
nasty.  The  second  was  the  least  offensive,  being  mixed  up  with 
honey  and  bitter  almonds.  Of  the  first  I  took  a  tolerable 
quantity;  but  the  effect  was  not  proportioned  to  my  expecta- 
tions. I  felt  rather  giddy  and  buoyant,  nothing  further :  yet  the 
dragoman  assured  me  that  I  had  swallowed  more  than  the  ordinary 
quantity.  "  Once,"  he  said,  "  a  waiter  found  some  in  the  hotel, 
and  ate  it  all,  not  knowing  what  it  was.  He  laughed  all  night 
long,  and  the  next  day  was  very  sick,  and  cried."  Much,  in  a 
case  of  this  kind,  must  depend  upon  the  idio.«yncrasy  of  the  indi- 
vidual wlio  swallows  it.  I  have  said,  with  myself,  tlie  ha.'jiieesh 
was  a  failure  :  I  may  mention,  at  the  same  time,  that  no  quantity 
of  wine  or  spirits,  however  large,  has  ever  any  effect  upon  my 
head ;  so  that  it  does  not  follow  that  its  exliibition  would  be  simi- 
larly innocuous  upon  everybody. 

At  two  or  three  points  of  the  shore  of  the  Bosphorus  were 
some  graveyards,  better  ke[)t  than  those  about  Constantinople. 
The  tombstones  were  painted  mo.st  gaudily,  and  the  inscriptions 
were  written  in  gold  and  silver.  I  was  told  tliat  the  crews  of 
ships  passing  along  were  in  the  habit  of  breaking  off  these  monu- 
ments and  taking  them  away,  as  future  ornaments  to  gardens  —  an 
offence  calling  for  more  severe  rcprehensiou  than  the  generality  of 
travelling  sacrileges. 

"We  passed  Therapia  and  Buyukdere,  about  which  pleasant 
places  I  shall  have  more  to  say  by-and-by ;  and  at  last  landed  at  a 


A  MOXTH  AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  105 

little  village  on  the  Asiatic  side  of  the  stream.  This  was  as 
prettily  oriental  a  spot  as  I  saw  during  my  sojourn  at  Constanti- 
nople ;  but  I  fear  I  cannot  do  it  justice  by  description.  The 
village  was  situated  at  the  base  of  a  wooded  mountain,  rising  from 
a  small  bay  round  the  corner  of  one  of  the  promontories  with  which 
the  shores  of  the  Bosphorus  abound.  The  waves  coming  in  from  the 
Euxine  rippled  against  its  very  street  —  for  it  had  but  one,  and 
this  was  not  above  ten  feet  wide ;  with  a  long  row  of  rustic  coffee- 
houses facing  the  water,  in  all  of  which  some  dirtily  picturesque 
fellows  were  lolling  about  and  smoking.  The  thoroughfare  was 
not  altogether  clear ;  for  the  spars  of  the  ships  —  many  of  which 
were  anchored  in  a  line  along  the  shore  —  at  times  crossed  it. 
They  were  all  wicked-looking,  felucca-rigged  craft;  and  the  wild, 
swarthy  men  who  slept  about  them  only  knew  in  what  their  real 
trade  consisted;  for,  between  Trebizonde,  or  Odessa,  and  the 
Archipelago,  all  sorts  of  wickednesses  may  be  achieved.  This  street 
ended  in  a  small  open  place,  surrounded  by  ragged  wooden  houses, 
one  of  which  had  been  built  round  a  gigantic  plane-tree  —  so  enor- 
mous that  its  boughs  stretched  over  the  whole  of  the  little  square ; 
and  caused  the  ground  to  be  pleasantly  chequered  with  dancing 
lights  and  shadows.  At  one  end  was  a  fountain  of  purely  Eastern 
build,  at  which  some  of  the  faithful  were  performing  their  holy  ab- 
lutions, and  at  its  side  a  tired  camel  was  nodding  and  blinking  lazily 
in  the  heat.  Two  little  shops  adjoined  this  fountain :  one  was  a 
coffee-house  and  the  other  belonged  to  a  cook.  A  seller  of  melons 
had  spread  his  store  upon  the  ground,  near  there,  and  some  of  his 
fruit,  not  bigger  than  oranges,  were  delicious.  Rude  wooden 
benches  were  placed  about  in  front  of  the  coffee-house  and  round 
its  walls,  and  our  old  friends,  the  dogs,  were  sleeping  about,  or 
squabbling  for  carrion,  everywhere.  At  last,  we  were  away  from 
every  trace  of  Europe. 

We  settled  to  dine  here ;  so  we  brought  up  our  basket  from  the 
caique,  and  got  some  cups  and  plates  from  the  cofFee-housC;  which 
had  a  mud  floor  and  walls,  and  in  it  some  natives  were  playing  at 


106  A    MONTir   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

tric-trac,  casting  the  dice  from  their  hands  instead  of  a  box,  whilst 
others  were  going  through  tlieir  prayers,  in  corners.  We  were 
evidently  objects  of  great  curiosity  for  all  of  them ;  and  the  pale 
ale  they  could  not  understand  at  all.  Indeed,  they  grouped  round 
us  when  the  cork  was  drawn,  like  a  street  audience  round  a  con- 
jurer ;  and  the  very  dogs  appeared  to  partake  of  the  bewilder- 
ment. 

We  were  very  hungry,  and  such  a  good  odor  came  from  the 
cook's  shop,  that  we  determined  to  patronize  him.  lie  was 
making  Jcehohs  —  and  if  there  was  a  spot  on  which  it  was  proper  to 
taste  that  oriental  delicacy,  this  was  certainly  the  one.  His  shop 
was  an  open  one,  with  a  brazier  in  the  window-place,  upon  which 
the  meats  were  being  cooked.  At  the  door-post  hung  a  piece  of 
mutton,  of  excellent  quality ;  this  was  exhibited  to  show  that  he 
only  made  use  of  good  meat.  He  cut  it  into  small  bits,  seasoned 
these,  and  put  them  on  a  skewer :  they  were  then  cooked  over  the 
fire,  and,  when  properly  done,  served  up  with  pepper,  salt,  and 
onion  chopped  very  fine.  No  knife  or  fork  was  required,  but  the 
morsels  were  eaten  from  the  skewer,  and  very  excellent  indeed 
they  were.  Then  we  finished  our  hard-boiled  eggs,  had  a  delicious 
melon  for  dessert,  which  cost  fourpence,  and  so  made  as  fine  a 
dinner  as  I  ever  partook  of.  Certainly,  I  never  sat  down  to  one 
so  full  of  agreeable  associations,  or  served  in  so  picturesque  a 
fashion. 

I  have  said  that  this  little  village  was  situated  at  a  bend  of  the 
JJosphorus.  We  therefore  agreed  to  walk  over  a  mountain  which 
rose  directly  behind  it,  and  send  the  boat  round,  to  meet  us  at 
another  point,  as  there  were  some  curiosities  to  see  on  the  summit, 
as  well  as  a  fine  view.  We  first  passed  tlie  ruins  of  a  building, 
known  as  the  Genoese  Castle,  which  must,  in  former  times,  have 
been  of  enormous  extent  and  magnitude.  Getting  higher  up,  we 
had  a  fine  prospect  of  the  opposite,  or  European,  shores  of  the 
Bosphorus ;  and,  at  last,  on  a  ridge  of  ground,  we  got  our  first 
view  of  the  Black  Sea,  with  its  long,  heavy  swell  coming  towards 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  107 

the  entrance  of  the  strait  in  mighty  curves,  and  dashing  over  the 
Symplegades  which  still  thrust  their  rugged  heads  from  the  foam  as 
they  are  said  to  have  done  when.  Jason  passed  with  the  Argonauts. 

Still  keeping  along  the  ridge  of  the  mountain,  we  came  at  length 
to  some  rich  table  laud,  upon  which  a  shepherd,  in  a  wild  costume, 
was  looking  after  his  flock.  He  had  an  immense  dog  with  him, 
and  my  companion  told  me  that  the  animals  of  this  breed  were  as 
fierce  as  wild  beasts,  when  their  master  did  not  keep  them  close  to 
his  side.  On  this  occasion  the  brute  began  to  show  his  teeth,  and 
seemed  perfectly  ready  to  spring  at  us,  so  we  took  a  lower  path, 
instead  of  crossing  the  pasture,  for  I  was  by  no  means  anxious  for 
an  encounter.  Once  I  was  bitten  through  the  eyebrow  by  a  hound, 
and  I  have  seen  several  people  die  of  hydrophobia  ;  the  result  has 
been,  that  I  believe  a  tiger  would  frighten  me  less  than  a  threat- 
ening dog.  We  were  repaid  for  our  detour  by  a  walk  through  a 
lovely  thicket,  the  winding  path  being  bordered  all  the  way  by 
ferns,  dwarf  oaks,  wild  vines,  and  the  arbutus.  The  foliage  was 
charming  and  most  refreshing,  for  it  was  a  long  time  since  I  had 
seen  any,  beyond  the  dusty  cypress  in  the  cemeteries,  and  the 
fruit-trees  in  the  Smyrna  gardens.  I  felt  how  expressive  was  the 
sentence  of  Eothon,  when  the  author  speaks,  after  his  arid  desert 
journey,  of  "  diving  into  the  cold  verdure  of  groves,  and  quenching 
his  hot  eyes  in  shade,  as  though  in  deep  rushing  waters." 

On  the  top  of  the  mountain  we  came  to  a  small  cluster  of  build- 
ings, attached  to  which  was  an  enclosure,  commonly  known  as  the 
Giant's  Grave ;  but  said,  by  the  Turks,  to  be  the  burial-place  of 
Joshua.  A  baJcsheesh  to  an  idle  dervish,  who  kept  a  poor  coffee- 
house here,  procured  a  peep  into  the  holy  spot ;  but  only  a  peep, 
for,  as  we  would  not  take  off  our  shoes,  we  were  not  allowed  to 
proceed  further  than  the  door-step.  The  "  grave  "  looked  like  an 
oblong  flower-bed,  between  twenty  and  thirty  feet  long ;  so  that,  if 
it  had  been  expressly  made  to  accommodate  any  individual,  it  is 
remarkable  that,  with  his  great  weight,  he  left  no  more  authen- 
ticated memorials  of  his  existence  or  departure.     At  one  end  was  a 


108 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


railing,  on  which  a  quantity  of  rags  and  shreds  of  cloth  were  hung. 
These  were  offerings,  such  as  one  may  sec  in  the  chapel  of  Jesus 
Flagelle,  near  Wimille,  and  had  been  sent  by  sick  people.  The 
superstition,  however,  connected  with  them  is,  that  if  they  are  por- 
tions of  the  dress  worn  by  the  diseased  person,  in  proportion  as 
they  become  purified  by  the  sun  and  air,  so  will  the  invalid 
recover. 

As  we  came  away  a  number  of  veiled  women  rushed  out  of  the 
house  adjoining,  and  began  to  abuse  us  in  the  most  violent  and 

excited  manner,  and  the  dervish  also 
came  in  for  his  full  share,  for  having 
shown  the  sacred  spot  to  such  Giaour 
doo;s  as  ourselves.  Their  rage  was 
increased  at  perceiving  that  we  had 
our  shoes  on,  since  they  imagined  that 
we  had  been  walking  generally  over 
the  holy  ground.  I  never  heard 
such  "Billingsgate"  as  the  pale 
beauties  indulged  in.  The  dervish 
took  his  few  piastres,  and  retired, 
with  a  sly  wink,  to  his  hovel;  but 
we  were  greeted  with  a  shower  of 
clods  and  stones  m  we  left  the  spot.  This  was  the  first,  and  I 
must  say  the  only,  time  that  I  was  ever  practically  insulted  by  the 
faithful  during  my  stay  in  Turkey?  My  companion  told  me  that 
he  was  once  set  upon  by  a  number,  at  Broussa.  lie  was  taking  a 
sketch,  and  nothing  would  convince  them  but  that  he  was  an 
enchanter,  working  out  some  deep  necromantic  scheme,  to  their 
serious  detriment. 

We  now  began  to  descend,  tlie  path  winding  along  the  sides  of 
the  mountain,  amidst  the  same  beautiful  foliage,  and  here  and 
there  adorned  with  a  picturesque  fountain,  put  up  by  some  pious 
person  for  the  use  of  travellers.  In  about  an  hour  we  came  to  a 
lovely,  park-like  flat,  between  two  hills,  known  as  The  Sultan's 


A    MONTH   AT    CONSTANTINOPLE,  109 

Valley.  Some  of  the  largest  plane-trees  I  ever  saw  were  growing 
here,  and  in  one  of  them  a  dervish  had  contrived  to  make  a  reg- 
ular house,  or  hovel,  with  a  small  enclosed  plot  of  grass  in  front, 
whereon  he  was  squatting,  and  grinding  his  coffee.  A  great 
number  of  dogs,  of  the  true  Galata  breed,  were  lying  about,  close 
to  him,  in  the  hopes  of  an  occasional  scrap.  He  was  a  wild-looking 
fellow,  with  long  hair  and  beard,  and  very  dirty.  Seated  at  the 
foot  of  the  tree,  he  recalled  to  my  mind,  at  once,  the  dervish  of  the 
Arabian  Nights,  who  gives  Prince  Bahman  the  advice  not  to  look 
behind  him,  when  he  goes  up  the  hill  in  search  of  the  talking-bird 
and  the  singing-tree.  He  glowered  upon  us  as  we  passed,  and 
appeared  inclined  to  do  anything  but  aid  us,  had  we  stood  in  need 
of  his  assistance. 

From  this  to  the  water's  side  again  was  but  a  short  distance,  and 
we  found  the  caique  had  come  round,  and  the  men  were  smoking 
their  pipes.  We  sat  upon  a  rude  pier  of  floating  timber,  and 
divided  our  remaining  beer  with  them ;  the  gusto  with  which  they 
drank  it,  proved  that  the  Moslem's  abhorrence  of  intoxicating 
drinks  is  not  difficult  to  overcome,  even  when  he  is  seen  indulging 
in  them,  which  is,  I  believe,  the  real  condition  under  which  he  is 
taught  to  abjure  them. 

The  voyage  home  was  most  delicious.  We  went  with  the 
stream,  and  glided  rapidly  along,  keeping  close  to  the  Asiatic  side, 
which  was  now  glowing  with  all  the  purple  glories  of  an  Eastern 
sunset,  every  window  in  the  card-board  palaces  throwing  back  its 
rays,  and  sparkling  as  though  one  general  illumination  was  going 
on,  from  the  Black  Sea  to  Scutari.  Then  the  opposite  mountains 
threw  their  shade  upon  the  villages,  and  they  became  gray  and 
dusky,  while  the  hills  behind  them  were  still  steeped  in  floods  of 
beautiful  light.  But  the  shadows  crept  higher  and  higher,  until, 
by  the  time  we  reached  Tophane,  and  turned  round  the  angle  of 
the  Golden  Horn,  the  mists  had  risen,  and  a  filmy,  irregular  lino 
of  buildings  only  marked  the  opposite  side  of  the  Bosphorus, 
9* 


110 


A   MONTU   AT   COXSTANTINOPLK. 


although  the  minarets  of  Stamboul  were  yet  tbrovra  out  in  vivid 
relief  against  the  flushed  horizon. 


VisHiNG  Station  on  thb  Bosphokgs. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  SLAVE  MARKET. 

No  European  goes  to  the  East  with  a  clear  idea  of  a  slave 
market.  He  has  seen  fanciful  French  lithographs,  and  attractive 
scenes  in  Eastern  ballets,  where  the  pretty  girls  appeared  ready,  on 
the  shortest  notice,  and  in  the  most  bewitching  costumes,  tc 
dance  the  Gitana,  Romaika,  Tarantella,  Redowa,  or  any  othci 
cliaracteristic  pas  that  might  be  required  of  them.  Or,  if  no' 
schooled  into  these  impressions,  he  takes  the  indignant  view  of  th' 
subject,  and  thinks  of  nothing  but  chains  and  lashes,  and  finds,  at 
last,  that  one  is  just  as  false  as  the  other. 

There  is  now  no  regular  slave  market  at  Constantinople.     Tin' 
fair  Circassians  and  Greorgians  reside  in  the  houses  of  the  mei- 
oliants,  to  whom  many  of  them  are  regularly  consigned  by  thei' 
friends,   and  'of  these  it  is  impossible  for  a  Frank  to  obtain   ;• 
glimpse,  for  the  usual  privacy  of  the  hareem  is  granted  to  theni. 
The  chief  depot  of  the  blacks  is  in  a  large  court-yard  attached  t. 
the  ]Mosque  of  Suleyman.     In  a  street  immediately  outside  tl^ 
wall  was  a  row  of  coffee-houses,  where  opium  was  also  to  be  pro 
cured  for  smoking,  which  is  by  no  means  so  general  a  practice  ;i 
is  imagined ;  and  over  and  behind  these  were  buildings  in  whic 
the  slaves  were  kept.     It  is  true  that  these  were  grated,  but  tl. 
lattices  through  which  only  the  Turkish  women  can  look  abroad 
gave  a  far  greater  notion  of  imprisonment. 

There  were  a  great  many  women  and  children  gi-ouped  about  i^ 
the  court-yard,  and  all  those  who  appeared  to  possess  any  degree 


112 


A    llONTII    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


of  intelligence  were  chatting  and  laughing.  Some  were  wrapped 
up  in  blankets  and  crouching  about  in  corners ;  but  in  these,  sense 
and  feeling  seemed  to  be  at  the  lowest  ebb,  and  I  could  not  help 
thinking  of  the  American's  remark  about  the  elephant,  at  Smyrna. 
I  had  a, photograph  taken,  from  one  of  this  class, 
by  Mr.  Schranz,  of  Cairo,  which  is  here  repro- 
duced. I  should  be  very  sorry  to  run  against 
any  proper  feelings  on  the  subject,  but  I  do  hon- 
estly believe  that  if  any  person  of  average  pro- 
priety and  right-mindedness  were  shown  these 
creatures,  and  told  that  their  lot  was  to  becorao 
the  property  of  others,  and  work  in  return  for 
food  and  lodging,  he  would  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  it  was  all  they  were  fit  for ;  indeed,  ha 
might  think  that  they  had  gai^ied  in  exchanging 
their  wretched  savage  life  for  one  of  compai-- 
I  would  not  pretend,  upon  the  strength  of  a 
hurried  visit  to  a  city,  to  offer  the  slightest  opinion  upon  the  native 
domestic  and  social  economy ;  but  I  can  say  that,  whenever  I  have 
seen  the  black  slaves  abroad,  they  have  been 
neatly  drowsed,  and  apparently  well  kept ;  and 
tliat,  if  ,';]iopplng  witli  their  mistresses  in  tho 
bazaars,  th(!  conversation  and  laughing  that  passed 
between  them  was  like  that  between  two  com- 
^lanioiis.  The  truth  is,  that  the  "  virtuous  indig- 
nation "  side  of  tlie  ({uestion  holds  out  grander 
opportunities  to  an  author  for  fine  writing  than 
the  prarti('al  fact.  ]5ut  this  style  of  composition 
should  not  alwiiys  bo  implicitly  relied  upon  ;  I 
knew  a  man  who  was  said  by  certain  reviews 
and  literary  c/Z^'/rs  to  be  "a  creature  of  largo 
sympatliies  for  the  poor  and  oj)pressed,"  because 
he  wrote  touching  things  about  them ;  but  who  would  abuse 
his  wife,  and  brutally  treat  his  children,  and  harass  his  family,  and 


ative  civilization. 


A    MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  113 

then  go  and  drink  until  his  large  heart  was  sufficiently  full  to  take 
up  the  "  man-and-brother  "  line  of  literary  business,  and  suggest 
that  a  tipsy  chartist  was  as  good  as  a  quiet  gentleman.  Of  this 
class  are  the  writers  who  even  call  livery  "a  badge  of.  slavery," 
and  yet,  in  truth,  if  the  real  slave  felt  as  proud  of  his  costume  and 
calves  as  John  feels,  he  might  be  considerably  envied  for  his  con- 
tent by  many  of  us. 

As  we  entered  the  court-yard,  a  girl  rose  and  asked  Demetri  if 
I  wanted  to  buy  her.  I  told  him  to  say  tluit  I  did,  and  would 
take  her  to  England.  She  asked  Demetri  wliere  that  was,  and  on 
being  told  that  it  was  so  many  days'  journey,  she  ran  away,  declaring 
that  she  would  never  go  so  far  with  anybody.  We  next  went  up 
to  a  circle  of  black  females,  who  had  clustered  under  the  shade  of 
a  tree.  A  Turkish  woman  in  her  veil  was  talking  to  them.  I 
made  Demetri  tell  them  that  we  had  no  slaves  in  England,  as  our 
queen  did  not  allow  it,  but  that  every  one  was  free  as  soon  as  they 
touched  the  land.  This  statement  excited  a  laugh  of  the  loudest 
derision  from  all  the  party,  and  they  ran  to  tell  it  to  their  com- 
panions, who  screamed  with  laugliter  as  well ;  so  that  I  unwittingly 
started  a  fine  joke  that  day  in  the  Slave  Market. 

Coming  back,  I  saw  a  fellow  turning  out  of  a  coffee-house, 
wherein  he  had  been  smoking  opium.  He  had  a  stupid,  tipsy  air 
of  unconsciousness,  and  the  boys  made  fun  of  him,  as  they  would 
have  done  of  a  drunkard  in  London. 

As  I  crossed  tlie  Golden  Horn,  I  took  advantage  of  the  polite 
invitation  of  Captain  ]Mercer,  who  had  made  one  of  our  firman 
party,  to  visit  the  Jamestown,  now  lying  off  Tophane.  Nothing 
could  be  more  beautiful  than  the  order  in  which  this  ship  was  kept ; 
and  when  we  were  down  below,  the  views,  through  the  different 
port-holes,  of  the  various  water  boundaries  of  Constantinople, 
formed  so  many  charming  cosmoramic  effects.  I  was  shown  some 
guns  which  were  loaded  at  the  breech.  A  piece  of  metal,  like  a 
bolt,  was  lifted  up,  the  bullet  was  then  put  into  a  channel,  and 
bolted,  as  it  were,  to  its  place.     Then  the  powder  was  inserted  after 


114 


A    MONTH   AT   CO     TANTINOPLE. 


it ;  and  a  hammer  at  the  side,  which  fired  the  cap,  kept  the  bolt  from 
flying  up  at  the  same  time.  I  do  not  know  whether  these  guns  are 
common.  There  were  a  great  many  of  tliem  on  board  the  James- 
town ;  and  the  saving  of  time  effected  in  loading  them  must  be 
very  considerable. 

At  the  hotel,  when  I  returned,  we  found  that  a  bundle  of 
Galiffnani^s  Messenger  had  arrived,  and  that  most  comprehensive 
of  all  newspapers  was  creating  the  greatest  excitement  with  its 
accounts  of  the  Bermondsey  murder,  the  first  that  had  reached  Con- 
Btantinople.  All  the  circumstances  had  to  be  translated  and 
explained  to  the  foreigners  at  the  table-d'hote ;  and  for  the  next 
day  or  two  as  much  proportionate  noise  was  made  about  the  affair 
ia  Pera  as  in  London. 


LlGIlTKItULN   IH   QlLATA. 


CHAPTEE  XIV. 


A  RIDE  ROUND  STAMBOUIi. 


Horses  can  easily  be  hired,  at  cheap  rates,  at  Constantinople, 
and  they  are  tolerably  good ;  certainly  superior  to  hacks  of  this 
class  in  London.  They  do  not  bring  sticks  or  whips  with  them ; 
but  the  bridle  terminates  in  a  long  thong,  with  which  you  can 
belabor  them  as  much  as  you  please. 

One  day,  about  noon,  we  started  upon  horseback  for  a  long 
round,  outside  the  city ;  passing  the  upper  bridge  of  boats  across 
the  Golden  Horn,  on  which  there  is  no  toll.  Eiding  through  the 
narrow,  crowded  streets  of  Stamboul  requires  one  to  have  both  his 
eyes  open,  with  unremitting  vigilance.     Every  minute  you  are 


entangled  in  a  throng  of  foot-people  ;  donkeys  carrying  boards ; 
heavily  laden  camels,  who  never  get  out  of  anybody's  way,  and 


116  A    MONTH    AT    COXSTAXTINOPLE. 

almost  sweep  each  side  of  the  lane  with  their  packs ;  rickety  car- 
riages, street  vendors,  and  dogs.  This  applies  more,  perhaps,  to 
the  streets  in  the  vicinity  of  tlio  bazaars  and  those  adjoining  the 
Golden  Horn.  Further  in  the  city  the  thoroughfares  are  curiously 
dreary  and  deserted.  The  house-doors  are  all  closed,  and  the 
windows  covered  with  lattices.  Still  advancing,  the  quarters  of 
the  Armenians  and  the  Greeks  are  more  lively.  The  lattices  are 
taken  away,  and  beautiful  faces  are  seen  at  the  windows,  —  as 
pretty  as  those  of  the  charming  Smyrna  girls.  In  the  middle 
of  the  latter  quarter,  I  saw  a  regular  Engli.sh  brass  door-plate, 
polished  to  dazzling  brightness,  with  "Mr.  Sang"  on  it.  The 
effect  was  odd  enough. 

We  rode  this  day  through  the  broadest  part  of  the  city  —  from 
the  Golden  Horn  to  the  Seven  Towers,  a  journey  of  about  three 
miles  —  leaving  Stamboul  by  a  gate  that  opened  close  upon  the 
Sea  of  Marmora.  I  never  saw  the  sea  so  calm  as  it  was  tliis  after- 
noon. Every  cloud  —  every  mast  and  spar  of  the  distant  steamers, 
was  reflected  on  its  glas.sy  surface,  and  the  water  was  as  still  at 
the  edge  as  though  it  had  been  the  Serpentine.  This  dead  calm 
was  accompanied  by  an  equal  silence.  I  listened  for  some  minutes, 
and  did  not  hear  a  sound.  Even  the  indeGnito  hum  of  busied  life, 
which  can  usually  be  detected  near  a  great  city,  was  huslied. 

The  walls  of  the  ancient  Constantinoj)le  still  existing,  are  of 
enormous  extent  and  magnitude,  forming  a  triple  enclosure.  At 
certain  distances  are  large  square  towers,  now  crumbling  rapidly  to 
decay.  They  are  ruined  in  the  mo.st  remarkalile  manner ;  some 
being  split  down  the  middle,  and  others  tumbled  over  bodily  into 
the  fosse.  We  followed  their  course,  c.xtcrn;i!Iy,  almig  a  road,  if 
such  it  could  be  called,  full  of  holes,  ami  evidently  never  repaired 
since  first  made.  Here  and  there  was  an  ;it tempt  at  paving,  with 
jagged  stones;  and  occasionally  one  half  oi'  it  ascended  shar])ly, 
whilst  the  other  dipped  into  a  hollow,  so  that  tliere  was  a  difil;ren<.'e 
of  from  five  to  eight  feet  in  its  level.  This,  it  nmst  be  under- 
stood, was  a  high  thoroughfare,  clo.«e  to  a  great  city,  and  answering 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  117 

to  the  external  boulevards  of  Paris.  The  horses  understood  the 
country  very  well.  They  scuffled  and  scrambled  along,  and  occa- 
sionally had  to  get  over  a  low  stone  wall  or  two,  to  make  short  cuts, 
with  which  my  companion  was  acquainted,  skirting  gardens  and 
cemeteries,  and  passing  creaking  water-wheels,  similar  to  those  I 
had  seen  at  Smyrna.  At  length  we  came  to  the  Greek  church  of 
Baloukli,  in  which  the  wonderful  fish  are  preserved.  Mr.  Curzon, 
in  his  admirable  book  on  the  Monasteries  of  the  Levant,*  thus  tells 
tlie  story :  — 

"The  unfortunate  Emperor  Constantino  Paleologus  rode  out  of 
the  city  alone  to  reconnoitre  the  outposts  of  the  Turkish  army, 
which  was  encamped  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  In  passing 
through  a  wood,  he  found  an  old  man  seated  by  the  side  of  a 
spring,  cooking  some  fish  on  a  gridiron  for  his  dinner ;  the  emperor 
dismounted  from. his  white  horse,  and  entered  into  conversation  with 
the  other ;  the  old  man  looked  up  at  the  stranger  in  silence,  when 
the  emperor  inquired  whether  he  had  heard  anything  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  Turkish  forces.  'Yes,'  said  he,  'they  have  this 
moment  entered  the  city  of  Constantinople.'  'I  would  believe 
what  you  say,'  replied  the  emperor,  'if  the  fish  which  you  are 
broiling  would  jump  off  the  gridiron  into  the  spring.'  This,  to  his 
amazement,  the  fish  immediately  did,  and,  on  his  turning  round, 
the  figure  of  the  old  man  had  disappeared.  The  emperor  mounted 
his  horse  and  rode  towards  the  gate  of  Silivria,  where  he  was 
encountered  by  a  band  of  the  enemy,  and  slain,  after  a  brave 
resistance,  by  the  hand  of  an  Arab  or  a  Negro. 

"  The  broiled  fishes  still  swim  about  in  the  water  of  the  spring, 
the  sides  of  which  have  been  lined  with  white  marble,  in  which  are 
certain  recesses  where  they  can  retire  when  they  do  not  wish  to 
receive  company.  The  only  way  of  turning  the  attention  of  these 
holy  fish  to  the  respectful  presence  of  their  adorers,  is  accomplished 
by  throwing  something  glittering  into  the  water,  such  as  a  handful 
of  gold  or  silver  coin ;  gold  is  the  best ;  copper  produces  no  effect ; 

*  "  Curzon's  Monasteries,"  introductory  chapter,  page  xxv. 
10 


118  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

he  that  sees  one  fish  is  lucky,  he  tha^  sees  two  or  three  goes  home 
a  happy  man ;  but  the  custom  of  throwing  coins  into  the  spring  has 
become,  from  its  constant  practice,  very  troublesome  to  the  good 
monks,  who  kindly  depute  one  of  their  community  to  rake  out  the 
money,  six  or  seven  times  a  day,  with  a  scraper  at  the  end  of  a 
long  pole.  The  Emperor  of  Russia  h;is  sent  presents  to  the  shrine 
of  Baloukli,  so  called  from  the  Turkish  word  Balouk,  a  fish. 
Some  wicked  heretics  have  said  that  these  fishes  are  common  perch  : 
either  they  or  the  monks  must  be  mistaken ;  but,  of  whatever  kind 
they  are,  they  are  looked  upon  with  reverence  by  the  Greeks,  and 
have  been  continually  held  in  the  highest  honor,  from  the  time  of 
the  siege  of  Constantinople  to  the  present  day." 

These  fish  must  have  been  of  the  same  breed  as  those  lively  ones 
in  the  story  of  "  The  Fisherman  and  the  Geni."  They  were  now 
swimming  in  a  tank  in  the  interior ;  and  the  water  was  offered  to 
visitors  to  drink.  It  was  very  pure  and  agreeable.  The  church 
itself  was  decorated  with  tawdry  illuminated  saints,  and  cheap  glass 
lamps  and  chandeliers  hung  from  the  ceiling.  A  priest  sat  at  tlie 
entrance,  with  a  row  of  plates  before  him,  into  whicli  contributions 
were  thrown.  A  piastre  or  two  was  evidently  considered  a  noble 
offering. 

We  remounted  our  horses,  and  rode  on-  through  wliat  I  imagine 
must  be  tlie  largest  cemetery  in  the  world  ;  passing,  literally,  miles 
of  tombstones.  They  were  of  all  kinds,  but  knocked  over  and 
uncared  for,  as  usual.  These  places  are  not  so  j)icturesque  and 
touching  as  some  writers  would  make  us  believe.  Their  extreme 
disorder  and  untidiness  betoken  anything  but  a  care  for  the  dead ; 
and  lead  one  to  believe  that  the  poets  have  written  about  them, 
rather  from  pictures  or  fiddle-faddle  conventionalities,  than  impres- 
sions. The  most  j)erfect  simile  a  person  could  find  for  them, 
would  be  in  a  field  of  enormous  ninepins.  A  little  village  church- 
yard in  our  England,  with  it.s  yew-tree,  and  limes,  and  lych-gate, 
is  more  impressive  than  the  whole  of  the  cemeteries  about  Constan- 
tinople put  together. 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  119 

We  went  on,  passing  a  suburb  of  the  city  at  the  back  of  the  fez 
manufactory,  wherein  were  some  gorgeous  enclosures  of  royal 
tombs,  —  to  peep  at  which  we  were  compelled  by  two  soldiers  on 
guard  to  dismount,  although  they  allowed  our  horses  to  be  led  after 
us,  —  and  finally  reached,  by  a  very  wild  road,  the  spot  known  as 
the  Valley  of  the  Sweet  Waters.  This  is  a  verdant  and  tranquil 
place  enough,  but  bears  a  name  which  excites  picturesque  anticipa- 
tions not  altogether  carried  out.  It  is  one  of  the  gi"eat  holiday 
resorts  of  the  Turki-^h  women,  the  other  being  the  "  sweet  waters 
of  Asia,"  across  the  Bosphorus.  Indeed,  the  inhabitants  of  Con- 
stantinople generally,  are  fond  of  coming  up  here,  in  caiques  from 
the  end  of  the  Golden  Horn.  The  turf  is  very  soft  and  green,  and 
there  are  some  fine  trees  for  shade,  beneath  which  little  knots  of 
people  may  be  always  seen  smoking  and  enjoying  their  hef.  The 
"sweet  waters"  are,  in  fact,  those  of  a  river  called  the  Lyssus, 
about  the  size  of  the  Lee. 

We  crossed  over  the  stream,  by  a  wooden  park  bridge,  and 
gained  the  heights  over  Pera.  Here  we  came  upon  several  skele- 
tons of  horses,  picked  very  clean  by  the  dogs,  who  were  about  them 
in  great  numbers.  After  some  wild  riding,  we  got  to  a  German 
brewery,  where  the  master  brought  us  some  tolerably  good  imita 
tion  of  Strasbourg  beer ;  and  then  we  rode  down  to  Pera,  having 
very  nearly  made  the  tour  of  the  city.  But  what  may  be  consid- 
ered remarkable,  was,  that  in  this  ride  of  some  hours,  on  the  great 
thoroughfares  immediately  adjoining  Constantinople,  we  had  not 
once  met,  or  passed,  anything  upon  wheels  —  not  even  a  cart. 

I  noticed  two  or  three  little  matters  of  interest  on  my  way  down 
from  the  Pera  faubourg  to  the  Hotel  d'Europe.  The  first  were  the 
tall  pyramids  of  masonry  used  as  water-levels,  containing  huge 
siphons,  which  assist  in  carrying  the  water  from  one  point  to  an- 
other, without  the  expense  of  an  aqueduct,  and  also  allow  it  to  come 
occasionally  in  contact  with  the  air.  Of  the  supply  of  water  to 
Constantinople,  I  shall  speak  by-and-by.  The  coffee-houses,  oppo- 
site the  great  burial-ground,  were  peculiar  in  their  way,  inasmuch 


120  A    MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

as  they  had  disposed  of  all  their  chairs  and  tables  amongst  the 
tombstones,  as  a  convivial  resort,  which  had  a  very  absurd  effect. 
And  my  old  friends  —  the  dogs,  opposite  the  Artillery  Barracks  — 
had  so  encumbered  the  road,  that  it  was  absolutely  difficult  to  pass 
along ;  the  reason  of  this  great  gathering  being  that  they  awaited 
the  washing  out  of  the  soldiers'  kettles.  For  an  encampment  had 
been  formed  of  green  tents,  on  an  enclosed  piece  of  ground  near 
the  barracks,  as  a  sort  of  demonstration  connected  with  the  threat- 
ening aspect  of  Russia  just  at  present ;  and  here  a  large  number 
of  the  Turkish  infantry  were  preparing  their  evening  meal. 

When  I  got  back  to  the  hotel  that  night,  Angelo  (for  so  was 
"  Arlechifto  "  properly  called)  told  me  that,  having  thrashed  the 
cook  a  few  days  before,  he  had  now  beaten  two  of  the  waiters  in 
some  unexplained  kitchen  squabble.  The  house  was  quite  full,  for 
several  Hungarians  had  arrived  during  the  day.  Where,  or  how 
they  slept,  was  a  riddle  to  all  of  us,  but  they  must  have  been  half 
a  dozen  in  a  room.  They  were  poor,  humble  fellows,  and  appeared 
broken  down  by  earnest  misery  and  anxiety. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  HOWLING  DERVISHES.  —  ROBBERY   OF  TRAVELLERS. 

Besides  the  dancing  dervishes,  there  is  another  set  at  Scutari, 
■who  howl ;  and  their  exhibition  is  also  public  every  Thursday 
afternoon,  about  two  o'clock.  It  is  a  nile  and  a  half  across  the 
Bosphorus,  from  Galata  to  Scutari.  The  Maiden  Tower  (or 
Leander's  Tower,  as  it  is  sometimes  called)  is  a  little  building 
rising  from  the  water,  about  which  the  old  story  is  told  of  the 
favorite  child,  shut  up  until  he  or  she  was  of  age,  because  a  predic- 
tion had  announced  an  early  accidental  death,  and  being  at  last 
killed  by  a  viper  from  some  fire-wood.  The  same  legend  belongs 
to  the  Folly,  at  Clifton,  and  a  dozen  other  places. 

Landing  at  Scutari,  which  I  imagine  must  be  the  most  oriental 
portion  of  Constantinople,  we  went  up  to  the  Convent  of  the 
Howling  Dervishes,  and  were  introduced  into  a  square  room,  with 
a  balustrade  round  it,  and  at  the  top  a  latticed  gallery  for  the 
women.  All  around  were  hung  rude  musical  instruments  —  chiefly 
little  drums  and  tambourines ;  and  against  the  wall  at  the  end 
were  battle-axes,  and  apparently  instruments  of  torture,  in  gi'cut 
numbers  —  hooks,  spikes,  and  the  like.  The  dervishes,  who  were 
crouching  on  the  floor,  on  sheepskins,  did  not  appear  to  have  any 
particular  costume,  as  those  at  Pera ;  but  each  afterwards  put  on  a 
felt  skull-cap.  Hound  the  enclosure  were  other  persons  sitting, 
who  appeared  to  be  visitors;  one  was  a  soldier.  Some  large-eyed, 
unwholesome  children  were  also  of  the  party  of  performers ;  and 
a  dancing  dervish  joined  them  before  they  finished.  They  went 
10* 


122  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

through  a  great  many  ceremonies  of  bowing,  embracing,  and 
repeating  prayers,  and  at  last  got  in  a  line  at  the  end  of  the  room 
by  the  railing,  one  or  two  of  the  elders  still  squatting  in  front  of 
them.  Here  they  commenced  to  chant,  swinging  themselves 
backwards  and  forwards,  and  then  sideways ;  getting  quicker  and 
quicker  in  their  motions,  like  a  railway  engine  going  off,  and 
shouting  "Za  ilah  illah-lah,"  (There  is  but  one  God!)  faster 
and  faster,  until  they  worked  themselves  up  into  an  extraordinary 
state  of  frenzy,  children  and  all;  They  kept  shouting  this  monot- 
onous line,  and  throwing  themselves  about  for  at  least  half  an 
hour ;  when,  the  noise  was  so  wearing,  and  the  place  so  close  and 
disagreeable,  that  I  made  my  escape. 

I  could  not  exactly  understand  what  induced  these  men  to  make 
such  fools  of  themselves.  Certainly  it  was  not  for  money,  for 
none  was  given  by  the  spectators,  nor  indeed  was  any  solicited. 
Neither  can  I  suspect  it  to  have  been  for  religious  motives ;  for,  to 
all  appearances,  a  greater  set  of  scamps  had  seldom  boon  collected 
together.  I  must  leave  the  explanation  to  those  familiar  with  the 
mysteries  of  Eastern  worship. 

Above  that  convent,  there  is  another  enormous  burying-ground, 
through  w  hieh  the  road  runs  —  a  perfect  forest,  with  millions  of 
tombstones.  Here  again  the  road  is  divided ;  and  its  paved 
portion  is  at  least  ten  feet  higher  than  the  dusty  half.  The  proper 
complement  of  dogs  and  poultry  were  wandering  about;  and  a 
largo  tomb,  formed  by  a  cupola  upon  six  pillars,  was  shown  as  the 
grave  of  a  favorite  horse  once  belonging  to  the  Sultan  Mahmoud. 
Another  was  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing,  upon  which  shreds  of 
clothes  were  hung,  in  large  numbers,  as  I  had  seen  at  the  Giant's 
Mountain. 

A  very  hot  walk  of  an  liour  took  us  to  the  top  of  the  hill  of 
Bulgaria,  from  whicli  the  finest  panorama  of  Constantinople,  the 
Sea  of  3Iarmora,  Prince's  Islands,  and  the  contiguous  Asiatic 
country,  can  be  seen. 

I  was  much  pleased,  on  my  return  to  the  hotel,  to  find  on  my 


A    MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  123 

key-book  a  card  left  by  Lord  Mandeville,  who  was  staying  at 
Misseri's.  He  had  been  attacked  by  robbers,  a  day's  journey 
from  Smyrna ;  and  they  had  taken  everything  that  he  had  about 
him.  Whilst  talking  of  the  affair,  a  report  arrived  that  Mr. 
Urquhart  had  suffered  also  from  thieves,  but  on  the  sea  —  his  boat 
having  been  attacked  by  pirates.  These  two  misadventures  made 
sufficient  noise  to  prove  that  such  robberies  upon  Eastern  travellers 
were  of  rare  occurrence. 

The  way  in  which  the  first  robbery  came  about  was  this.  The 
steamers  of  the  Austrian  Lloyd's  Company,  arriving  at  Smyrna  in 
the  morning,  do  not  start  again  until  noon  the  next  day,  and  so 
Lord  Mandeville,  and  a  gentleman  who  accompanied  him, — Mr. 
Percy  Herbert,  —  determined  to  spend  their  time  in  riding  to 
Nimfi ;  where,  a  short  time  ago,  one  of  the  most  ancient  monu- 
ments of  the  world  was  discovered,  in  the  shape  of  an  enormous 
human  figure,  sculptured  in  the  solid  rock.  It  agrees  closely  with 
the  description  of  a  monument  given  by  Herodotus,  and  is  said  to 
be  a  trophy  of  Sesostris. 

Oiir  travellers  placed  themselves  first  in  the  hands  of  a  doubtful 
dragoman,  —  as  great  a  robber,  by  their  account,  as  any  they  were 
attacked  by,  —  and  left  him  to  make  the  arrangements  for  the 
journey,  Nimfi  being  about  five  hours  distant  from  Smyrna.  He 
engaged  a  Surroudjee,  or  horse-attendant,  to  be  at  the  inn  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  with  five  horses. 

Before  starting,  they  thought  it  would  be  advisable  to  go  to  the 
consul,  and  mention  their  plans  and  arrangements.  They  found 
an  old  gentleman  in  an  ill  temper,  wrapped  up  in  a  flannel  gown, 
and  groaning,  as  he  said,  from  rheumatism.  Upon  asking  him  if 
the  price  they  paid  for  the  horses  was  just,  he  replied  that  he  knew 
nothing  at  all  about  it,  and,  indeed,  appeared  to  be  bored  at  being 
thus  troubled  :  so  they  went  away. 

Having  started  at  the  appointed  time,  for  a  wonder,  they  were 
stopped  at  the  first  guard-house  they  came  to,  which  is  about  half 
an  hour  out  of  Smyrna,  and  asked  for  their  Teshere,  which  is  a 


124  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLB. 

species  of  passport,  combined  with  an  order  for  post-horses  and 
other  matters  connected  with  Turkish  travelling.  Neither  the 
consul  nor  the  dragoman  bad  thought  about  this,  and  so  they  were 
compelled  to  wait  two  hours  at  the  guard-house,  whilst  the  latter 
returned  for  the  necessary  permit. 

As  last,  he  arrived ;  but,  from  this  delay  and  other  causes,  they 
did  not  reach  Nimfi  until  the  middle  of  the  night.  The  dragoman, 
who  had  assured  them  that  he  had  often  been  there  before,  was 
now  unable  to  find  the  house  they  were  to  sleep  in ;  and  they  must 
have  couched  a  la  belle  etoile,  had  they  not,  by  chance,  found  a 
man  sitting  up  in  some  place  where  wine  was  being  made,  who 
directed  them. 

They  started  again  at  daylight,  the  next  morning,  for  the  spot 
where  the  monument  is  to  be  seen,  distant  from  Nimfi  about  an 
hour  and  a  half.  After  a  pleasant  ride  of  eight  or  nine  miles, 
through  a  very  pretty  country,  they  went  up  a  small  path,  leading 
through  a  narrow  gorge  in  the  hills,  where  there  was  barely  room 
for  more  than  the  stream  running  through  it,  the  way  being  some- 
times in  the  course  of  the  stream,  and  sometimes  on  one  side  of  it, 
twisting  a])0ut,  to  pass  the  blocks  which  had  rolled  down  from  the 
sides  of  tlie  hills.  They  were  passing  one  of  these  masses,  with 
some  brushwood  on  the  other  side  of  the  path,  when  two  men 
sprang  forward  and  stopped  tlie  Snrroudj'ee.  At  the  same  mo- 
ment, two  other  follows  appeared  in  the  rear,  and  they  were 
directly  afterwards  joined  by  a  fifth.  All  those  men  were  armed. 
They  made  the  travellers  dismount,  tore  off  their  coats  to  see  if 
thoy  were  armed,  which,  fortunately,  tliey  wore  not;  and  then 
quietly  rifled  tlieir  pockets  taking  all  thoy  wanted.  Fortunately, 
Lord  Mandovillo  had  nothing  of  great  value  almut  him,  except  a 
gold  watch.  This,  of  course,  the}-  appropriated,  as  well  as  his 
.sash,  his  pocket-handkerchief,  and  even  a  strip  of  silk  he  wore 
round  his  neck.  Just  as  he  was  remounting,  one  of  the  rascals 
saw  a  ring  on  his  finger.  They  tried  to  got  this  off,  but  as  it  had 
been  a  lady's,  it  was  not  very  easy,  and  the  chief  of  the  party  drew 


A   MONTH   AT  CONSTANTINOPLE.  125 

his  yatagan  to  take  away  finger  and  all.*  The  dragoman,  how- 
ever, interfered,  and  contrived  to  rdease  it  with  his  mouth.  When 
everything  available  had  been  taken,  the  fellows  departed. 

The  adventure  did  not  deter  our  travellers  from  going  on  to  the 
monument,  although  the  visit  could  not  have  been  paid  in  very 
good  temper.  When  they  returned,  they  went  at  once  to  the  vice- 
consul,  and  asked  him  to  assist  them  in  getting  some  redress.  He, 
however,  pooh-pooh'd  the  affair,  and  it  was  not  until  Lord  Mande- 
ville  wrote  a  somewhat  peremptory  note  to  the  consul,  that  the 
matter  was  taken  in  hand.  The  vice-consul,  however,  is  a 
Greek. 

A  misfortune  befell  the  circus  at  Pera  this  evening.  There 
came  on  a  brisk  wind,  which  carried  away  several  of  the  light 
planks  that  formed  the  roof,  and  this  was  followed  by  a  pelting 
shower  of  rain.  The  consequence  was,  that  two-thirds  of  the 
lamps  went  out,  and  the  performance  concluded  with  the  very 
dreary  spectacle  of  a  spangled  gentleman  and  lady  riding  round 
and  round,  almost  in  the  dark,  and  gradually  becoming  drenched 
to  the  skin,  whilst  the  audience  clustered  under  umbrellas.  But 
the  fezzes  were  not  at  all  put  out.  They  looked  gravely  on,  as 
though  they  considered  it  a  part  of  the  entertainment,  without  any 
expression  of  either  approbation  or  dissatisfaction,  and  probably 
would  have  done  the  same  had  the  whole  place  suddenly  taken 
fire. 

I  was  enabled  to  form  some  slight  notion,  on  my  way  home  this 
night,  of  the  state  of  the  Constantinople  streets  during  the  winter. 
As  it  was,  the  "  sludge  "  from  the  rain  —  the  holes  full  of  water  — 
and  the  rugged  paving,  nearly  precluded  all  progress.  In  winter, 
■with  continued  bad  weather,  they  must  be  perfectly  impassable. 
Men  buy  long  boots  on  purpose  to  get  about  in ;  but  what  the 
women  do  is  difficult  to  tell.     As  it  is,  they  can  scarcely  shuffle 

*  When  I  was  robbed  by  brigands,  between  Padua  and  Bologna,  in  1840, 
cue  of  our  party  nearly  underwent  a  similar  fate. 


126  A   MONTH  AT  CONSTANTINOPLE. 

on  in  their  slipshod  chaussure.  By  all  accounts,  the  winters  at 
Constantinople  are  occasionally  very  frightful;  and  this  present 
one  appears  to  have  exceeded  all  others  in  severity,  many  poor  per- 
sons having  died  from  cold,  and  all  having  suffered  from  it  bitterly, 
as  well  they  may,  with  nothing  but  miserable  little  stoves  and 
chauferettes  to  warm  them,  in  thin  wooden  houses  that  allow  every 
draught  of  air  to  come  and  go  as  it  chooses. 


BkUAO-SSLLEB. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

BUYDKDERE. 

The  two  most  important  villages  upon  the  Bospliorus  are 
Therapia  and  Buyukdere,  contiguous  to  the  summer  residences  of 
most  of  the  ambassadors.  The  land  journey  to  the  latter  is  a 
pleasant  ride  on  horseback,  and  the  escape  into  fresh  green  valleys 
from  dirty  Pera,  most  refreshing  and  agreeable. 

I  hired  a  small,  active,  sure-footed  horse,  and  started,  one  morn- 
ing, with  a  companion,  for  Buyukdere.  There  is  a  species  of  road 
paved  with  huge,  uneven  blocks  of  stone,  like  those,  here  and  there, 
upon  the  Roman  Campagna,  but  not  so  level ;  but  we  preferred 
crossing  the  country,  and  so  cantered  and  scrambled  over  the  wide 
wild  tract  of  bare  hills,  which  commence  almost  immediately  upon 
quitting  Pera.  They  have  straggling  bridle-paths,  and  deep 
water-courses  about  them,  in  all  directions,  with  occasionally  a 
dangerous  dry  well,  flush  with  the  ground.  No  attempt  is  made 
to  cultivate  this  land  :  a  few  sheep  browse  about  it,  and,  now  and 
then,  one  sees  a  little  enclosed  patch  somewhat  greener  than  the 
rest.  Very  large  rats,  without  tails,  burrow  in  it ;  and  curious 
lizards,  of  a  singularly  bright  green,  dart  about  its  short  veg-etation. 
At  one  part  the  Sultan  was  building  a  palace,  which  looked  a  great 
deal  more  like  a  union  workhouse,  down  in  a  hollow;  and  the 
work-people  lived  round  about  it,  in  tents. 

We  were  at  a  tolerable  elevation,  and  now  and  then  got  fine 
views  of  the  Bosphorus.  Occasionally,  a  long  smooth  piece  of 
turf  offered  a  course  for  a  capital  gallop,  and  the  air  was  so  pure 


12S  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

and  delightful,  that  our  spirits  were  raised  to  the  highest  degree. 
Hence  the  thirteen  miles  between  Pcra  and  Buyukdere  appeared 
to  be  traversed  at  express  speed.  I  did  not  see  many  travellers  on 
the  road.  Now  and  then  an  araha  or  teleka  was  met,  crawling 
along  —  the  latter  usually  filled  with  Greek  girls  —  and  we  came 
up  with  two  or  three  horsemen,  apparently  on  a  journey,  and 
armed  to  the  teeth.  Once,  also,  in  the  distance,  I  saw  a  string  of 
camels,  laden,  most  probably,  with  charcoal,  for  Constantinople; 
but  this  was  all.  The  difference  in  traffic  which  a  road  of  the 
same  relation  would  have  shown,  between  two  of  our  humblest 
market-towns  in  England,  was  a  matter  of  some  interest. 

As  we  approached  Buyukdere  the  country  became  very  rich 
and  beautiful,  and  a  little  way  out  of  the  village,  in  a  large 
meadow,  I  was  shown  some  wonderfully  fine  plane  trees,  under 
which  Godfrey  de  Bouillon  was  said  to  have  encamped,  when  on 
his  way  to  the  cru,sades.  This  is  one  of  those  pleasant  local 
legends,  which  a  traveller  never  believes,  and  yet  would  not  spare 
from  any  agreeable  spot  he  may  be  passing.  So  it  is  with  the 
llhine,  and  William  Toll's  country.  The  plane  trees  here  are 
finer  even  than  those  in  the  Sultiin's  valley,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  Bosphorus.  Formerly  there  were  several  more,  and  they 
grow  so  closely  together  that  they  look  as  though  one  root  was 
sending  up  several  huge  stems. 

We  came  down  to  the  sufiny  water-side,  along  whicli  the  village 
runs,  and  stopped  at  an  excellent  house  —  the  Ifvtd  de  V Empire 
Ottoman,  kept  by  a  Piedmontesc  and  his  wife,  and  facing  the 
Bospliorus.  The  bill  of  tliis  establishment  was  in  five  languages, 
—  viz.,  Turkish,  Armenian,  French,  Greek  and  English;  and,  for 
a  wonder,  there  were  none  of  those  annising  mistakes  in  the  latter, 
for  whicli  polyglot  hotel  cards  abroad  are  so  famous. 

This  was  one  of  tlu'  loveliest  mornings  I  ever  knew.  The  Bos- 
phorus was  sparkling  like  a  stream  of  licpiid  lapis-lazuli,  and  so 
beautifully  clear  that  all  the  shells  and  pebbles  at  the  bottom  were 
perceptible,  as  well  as  numbers  of  gleaming  fish.     A  light  cool 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  129 

breeze  came  up  from  the  Euxine,  just  moving  the  pennants  of  the 
ships  lying  about,  and  the  mists  on  the  Asiatic  side  were  gradu- 
ally lifting  up  and  dispersing,  as  they  revealed  the  beautiful  hills 
near  the  Genoese  castle.  All  the  pretty  card-board  waterside 
palaces,  far  away  on  either  side,  came  out  brightly  in  the  clear 
sunlight  against  the  dark  woods  behind  them.  Two  or  three  bits 
of  bright  color,  in  the  dresses  of  the  people  who  lounged  about, 
came  in  exactly  where  they  were  wanted,  fof  effect,  and  all  points 
contributed  to  make  so  charming  an  ensemble,  that  I  marvelled 
how  any  one,  with  means  and  leisure  at  their  command,  could  give 
up  this  glittering  spot  for  the  noisome,  dusty,  corpse-crammed 
Pera. 

In  front  of  the  hotel  was  a  small  bathing-house,  built  out  upon 
piles  over  the  water,  with  an  insecure  seat  round  the  inside  of  it ; 
without,  it  was  very  like  a  sea-side  camera-obscura ;  within,  it 
resembled,  in  form  and  size,  the  diving-bell  at  the  Polytechnic 
Institution.  Its  chief  disadvantage  was,  that  your  shoes  and 
things  tumbled  into  the  water  from  the  narrow  ledge  on  which  they 
were  placed.  But  the  temptation  of  a  plunge  was  not  to  be 
resisted,  and  in  five  minutes  we  were  revelling  in  deep  water, 
shouting  for  very  enjoyment,  and  getting  such  an  appetite  for 
breakfast,  that  I  fear  those  who  gave  us  the  meal  at  fifteen 
piastres  a  head,  did  not  that  morning  clear  much  by  their  bargain. 

The  hostess  was  a  tolerably  pretty  person,  born  on  the  sunny 
side  of  the  Great  St.  Bernard,  and  was  eager  to  show  us  over  the 
hotel.  Certainly,  one  might  have  done  far  worse  than  have  made 
it  his  quarters  for  a  few  weeks.  There  was  an  excellent  salon, 
with  a  capital  piano,  a  billiard-room,  a  cafe,  and  a  beautiful  garden, 
with  trellised  vines  forming  all  kinds  of  arbors,  and  one  fine  tree 
with  a  summer-house  built  up  amidst  its  branches,  like  that  of 
"  The  Golden  Grove  "  at  the  foot  of  St.  Ann's  Hill,  in  Surrey. 
Some  of  the  grapes  were  very  small,  and  were  made  into  Sultana 
raisins,  and  on  others  of  the  trees  were  new  fruits,  different  to  any 
I  had  seen  before.  There  were  also  curious  contrivances  for  irri- 
11 


130  A    month:   at   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

gation,  and  odd  bcc-hivos,  and  gardonin;^  and  domestic  imple-. 
ments,  on  the  use  of  which  no  man  might  venture  to  pronounce 
rashly. 

We  preferred  to  have  our  breakfast  unHcr  the  vines,  and  were 
joined  by  the  host  and  hostess,  with  a  lodger — a  hiige,  loutish 
Bussian  officer  of  something  or  another,  wlio  ate  enormously,  was  a 
very  dirty  feeder,  would  not  have  his  plate  changcnl  for  anything, 
and  tippled  to  excess.  lie  had  been  liunting  down  Hungarians, 
but  had  been  thrown  off  his  employment  by  the  aspect  of  affairs  at 
Constantinople.  The  host  and  hostess  were  communicative  jJCople. 
They  were,  they  said,  anxious  to  return  to  Piedmont,  but  had  laid 
out  a  great  deal  of  money  on  the  hotel,  and  lioped,  first,  to  reap  a 
return  of  it.  Even  then  it  was  scarcely  sufficiently  known  at  l^era 
to  make  it  an  acknowledged  popular  resort  of  the  Frank  population, 
but  every  year  brought  a  little  better  business  than  the  preceding 
one,  and  so  they  lived  in  hopes. 

We  idled  through  this  day  in  most  glorious  dolce  far  niente  ; 
and  started  in  the  afternoon  to  return  by  a  different  road,  keeping 
by  the  water-side  as  far  as  Therapia,  where  we  knocked  up  the 
quarters  of  a  friend  for  dinner.  There  was  nothing  to  be  procured 
but  eggs,  and  the  fat  of  bacon ;  but  these  we  cooked  ourselves, 
with  great  fun ;  and,  moreover,  with  ])lenty  of  good  bread  and 
bitter  beer,  we  contrived  to  make  a  famous  meal.  Indeed,  it  was 
not  until  tlie  sun  went  off  the  Bosphorus  that  we  thought  about 
getting  home  again. 

We  had  a  wild  scamper  over  the  hills  again ;  but,  when  four  or 
five  miles  from  Constantinople,  it  got  so  dark  that  we  were  obliged 
to  pull  up  and  walk  our  horses,  on  account  of  the  bad  road  and 
the  holes.  At  last  we  saw  the  lights  of  I'era,  and  once  more 
threaded  our  way  amongst  the  dogs  and  people,  along  its  narrow 
Btreet,  to  tlie  hotel. 

It  was  very  hot  indeed  that  night.  'J'lie  wind  went  round,  and 
changed  to  the  stifling  sirocco.  As  such,  I  knew  my  fate,  and 
prepared  to  lie  down  the  whole  cf  the  next  day  with  a  feverish 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


131 


head-aclie,  gasping  instead  of  breathing  —  such  being  the  invariable 
effects  of  the  blighting  wind  upon  me.  These,  however,  lasted  no 
longer  than  the  cause,  and  when  the  refreshing  breeze  came  down 
again  from  the  Euxine,  I  was  at  once  as  well  as  ever.  As  this 
was  the  only  indisposition  I  suffered  from,  during  the  whole 
of  my  absence  from  England,  with  every  change  of  tempera- 
ture, climate,  diet,  and  general  habits,  that  could  try  a  constitu- 
tion, I  always  considered  myself  very  fortunate,  and  was  grateful 
accordingly.  It  must  be  very  sad  to  be  laid  up  for  any  time 
with  illness  in  a  strange  country ;  and  although  a  clever  Turkish 
member  of  our  own  College  of  Surgeons,  IMr.  Zohrab,  is  practising 
in  Pera,  I  preferred  dispensing  altogether  with  his  assistance. 


Sweetmeat  Man. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

PRINCE'S  ISLAND,  AND  ITS  POPULAR  AMUSEMENTS. 

Home  superstition  becomes  sadly  upset  when  we  find  that  Friday 
is  considered  the  most  fortunate  day  of  the  week,  in  the  East,  and 
the  Turks  like  to  begin  or  perform  any  work  on  that  day,  accord- 
ingly- 

It  is  also  their  Sabbath ;  and,  during  the  fine  weather,  the 
women  go  in  crowds  to  the  Sweet  Waters  of  Asia  —  a  beautiful 
valley  near  the  fortress  of  Hissari,  on  the  Bosphorus,  watered  by 
the  River  Goksu.  They  spread  their  carpets  here,  and  pass  the 
day  in  admiring  themselves  in  mirrors,  smoking,  chatting,  and 
eating  sweetmeats.  I  was  told  tliat  many  flirtations  were  originated 
on  these  occasions,  but  with  IMoslem  gallants.  There  is  not  a 
chance  for  a  Frank  traveller  to  establish  one  ;  and,  therefore,  when 
such  a  one  boasts  of  any  success  in  this  particular  lino,  whatever 
else  he  says  may  be  believed  as  fully  —  at  least,  in  nine  cases  out 
of  ten.  All  I  know  from  my  own  experience  is,  that  every  attempt 
I  made  at  philandering  with  the  belles  of  Stamboul,  and  once  or 
twice  under  unusual  advantages,  turned  out  a  total,  not  to  say  con- 
temptible, failure. 

In  this  idling  about,  this  easy,  thoughtless  abandonment  of  life, 
the  Moslems  get  through  their  holidays.  With  tlie  Greeks,  who 
form  so  large  a  proportion  of  the  population  of  Turkey,  the  case  is 
different.  They  eagerly  seek  every  kind  of  amusement,  and  pass 
their  Sundays  in  the  true  continental  fashion.  Tlu'y  have  various 
favorite  resorts  —  especially  the  different  villages  along  the  Bos- 


A  MONTH  AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  133 

phorus,  where  many  of  them  reside ;  but  the  most  popular  of  all 
are  Princes'  Islands. 

There  are  nine  of  these,  and  they  lie  in  the  Sea  of  Marmora,  an 
hour's  steamboat  ride  from  Constantinople.  The  larger  ones  are 
called,  in  the  order  you  arrive  at  them,  Prote,  Atigone,  Chalki, 
and  Prinkipo ;  and  the  last  one  is  the  most  popular.  They  are 
properly  Asiatic,  and,  on  this  account,  I  hear,  are  patronized  by 
East  Indians,  absent  on  leave,  but  who  must  not  enter  Europe. 
There  is  good  shooting  on  them,  and  the  air  is  remarkably  pure ; 
and,  like  Smyrna,  there  is  an  over-proportion  of  beautiful  girls  in 
the  population. 

Prinkipo  is  the  Gravesend  of  Constantinople.  Every  afternoon, 
at  four,  a  steamer  starts  from  the  centre  of  the  lower  floating  bridge 
across  the  Golden  Horn,  for  the  islands,  conveying  the  Galata  mer- 
chants to  their  country  abodes ;  and  on  Saturday  the  boat  is 
crammed  with  holiday-makers.  As  this  is  the  most  characteristic 
time  to  visit  them,  I  took  advantage  of  the  charming  weather,  and 
went  with  the  rest. 

When  I  got  down  to  the  boat,  it  was  so  full  that  there  was 
scarcely  standing-room,  and  the  dozens  of  red  fezzes  had  a  very 
curious  appearance.  With  some  difficulty  1  found  the  gentlemen 
who  were  to  accompany  me,  and  at  last  we  contrived  to  secure  one 
or  two  of  the  odd  little  dumpy  seats  that 
were  about  the  deck,  and  established  our- 
selves near  a  kind  of  dresser,  at  the  lunit  of 
the  first  places,  where  coflfee,  rakee,  and 
sweetmeats  were  to  be  had.  These  little 
stools  are  evidence  of  the  first  coalition  between  Ottoman  and 
Frank  methods  of  sitting,  —  a  compromise  between  a  chair  and  the 
actual  ground.  The  Babel  of  tongues  was  absolutely  deafening  — 
hamah  were  pushing  backwards  and  forwards  with  luggage  ;  people 
on  the  bridge  were  screaming  to  their  friends  on  board,  in  the 
"write  soon"  style  of  farewell;  Turkish  policemen  were  cuffing 
about  the  idlers ;  the  captain  was  doing  his  best  to  direct  his  crew 
11* 


134  A   MONTH  AT  CONSTANTINOPLE. 

in  pushing  off,  and  the  crew  were  all  divitled  as  to  the  vrorst  means 
of  doing  so ;  and,  in  the  midst  of  all  this  confusion,  looking  down 
into  the  engine-room,  there  I  clianced  to  read  on  the  machine,  "  J. 
Penn  and  Sons,  Engineers,  Greenwich;"  and  thought  what  a  dif- 
ferent scene  the  boat  had  got  amongst,  to  that  when  she  quietly 
steamed  away  by  the  Dreadnought  and  Isle  of  Dogs,  the  Hospitid 
Pier,  and  White-bait  Houses,  on  our  own  old  Thames. 

The  passengers  were  wonderfully  troublesome  with  their  luggage, 
and  this  appeared  all  of  one  sort  —  awkward  bundles  of  bread  and 
pumpkins.  One  eccentric  mind  had  packed  up  an  old  pair  of 
shoes  and  some  grapes  in  a  bird-cage,  and  another  brought  a  dozen 
live  ducks  all  tied  together  by  the  feet.  There  was  also  a  dreadful 
dog,  who  constantly  sought  his  master,  trailing  a  chain  after  him ; 
uj)on  which  if  the  passengers  inadvertently  trod,  checking  his 
progress,  he  turned  round  and  snapped  at  them. 

At  last,  with  great  excitement  and  bawling,  to  which  tlie  Pool 
late  on  the  evening  of  Greenwich  fair  was  nothing,  we  got  out  of 
the  Golden  Horn.  A  long  caique  with  a  sail,  and  twelve  or  four- 
teen passengers,  overtook  us,  like  the  wind,  and  soon  shot  ahead. 
The  people  smoked  and  drank  coffee,  all  working  their  beads  about 
with  restless  irritability ;  and  a  band  of  music  played  airs  from 
the  operas  of  Donizetti  and  Verdi.  The  great  feature  of  this  band 
was  the  performer  on  tlie  Pand.-ean  pipes  ;  it  Ls  impossible  to  conceive 
the  excellent  music  he  blew  out  from  them.  They  contained  four 
octaves,  and  were  not  flat,  as  the  common  ones,  but  curved  round, 
so  that  his  lips  formed  tlie  arc  of  a  circle,  as  it  were,  of  whicli  liis 
neck  was  the  centre.  Only  associating  the  Pandasan  pipes  with  a 
street  drum,  a.s  accompanying  the  exertions  of  Punch,  acrobats, 
and  the  fantoccini,  I  was  amazed  to  find  what  tliey  were  really 
capable  of,  when  well  jtlayed. 

The  voyage  lasted,  altogether,  nearly  two  hours,  and  each  time 
passengers  were  landed  the  riot  was  awful.  The  captain,  who  was  a 
little  podgy  man,  in  a  fez  and  frock-coat,  stormed  and  swore,  and 
jumped  about  on  the  paddle-boxes  like  a  maniac.     The  watermen 


A   MONTH   AT   COXSTANTIXOPLE.  135 

in  the  caiques  fought  and  banged  each  other  with  a  ferocity  that 
exceeded  the  boatmen  at  tlie  Pincus,  as  they  struggled  to  get  their 
fragile  barks  next  the  steamer;  and  the  passengers  jostled,  and 
pushed,  and  so  increased  the  confusion,  that  it  was  wonderful  how 
they  were  not  all  drowned.  All  this  went  on  at  every  island,  but 
the  most  frightful  to-do  was  at  Prinkipo ;  and,  although  a  tolerable 
swimmer,  I  was  not  sorry  when  our  over-laden  caique  touched  the 
shore.  We  had  been  nearly  swamped  by  getting  between  two 
larger  boats,  in  a  manner  that  would  have  been  dangerous  on  a 
river,  but  here  a  heavy  sea  was  running. 

We  landed  under  a  cliiT,  along  which  a  row  of  coffee-houses  and 
some  private  villas  ran;  and,  at  the  extremity  of  the  promenade,  we 
found  an  inn,  in  a  fine  position,  with  a  view  of  Constantinople  in 
the  distance,  looking  far  more  beautiful  than  Venice  —  which,  in 
all  truth,  i^  not  so  attractive  on  first  sight  as  some  writers  would 
make  it  —  with  the  domes  and  minarets  of  Statnboul  shining  like 
gold,  in  the  sunset.  The  hotel  was  kept  by  a  Neapolitan;  and 
was  built  entirely  of  light  thin  wood  —  very  like  those  we  see  iu 
Switzerland,  in  high  and  out-of-the-way  spots.  The  landlord  ap- 
peared very  anxious  to  make  his  customers  comfortable.  "He  gave 
us  a  very  good  dinner  at  a  taUe-dliote,  where  we  sat  down  some 
fourteen  or  sixteen  —  principally  Greeks ;  but  he  somewhat  com- 
mitted himself  in  recommending  a  bottle  of  Broussa  beer  to  our 
notice.  Broussa  is  a  city  in  Asia  3Iinor,  celebrated  for  its  manu- 
factories of  silk,  which  supply  the  Levant.  It  certainly  cannot 
claim  any  distinction  for  its  breweries,  for  I  never  tasted  anything 
so  nasty  in  my  life.  With  my  eyes  shut,  I  could  have  imagined  it 
a  species  of  effervescing  black-draught. 

As  soon  as  dinner  was  over,  we  turned  out  for  a  stroll  about  tho 
village,  which  possesses  several  very  novel  and  entertaining  features. 
I  have  said  that  tliere  was  a  row  of  coffee-houses  on  the  heights 
facing  the  sea.  These  were  all  wooden  buildings  with  porticos 
before  them ;  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  promenade,  in  front, 
were  platforms,  surrounded  by  railings,  built  to  project  over  the 


136  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

edge  of  the  cliff,  and  singularly  insecure.  The  masters  supply 
coffee,  narghiles,  and  a  very  tolerable  punch. 

The  steamboat  band  was  playing  in  front  of  the  principal  house  ; 
and  before  all  of  them  were  suspended  hoops,  with  thin  white  cylin- 
ders depending  from  them,  which  I  at  first  took  to  be  candles. 
But  I  found  afterwards  that  thoy  were  blue-lights ;  and  that  when 
the  beauties  of  Prinkipo  assembled,  (which  they  were  to  do  on  the 
morrow  in  great  numbers,)  and  it  got  dark,  some  public-spirited 
and  gallant  gentleman  would  pay  to  have  one  of  these  fireworks 
ignited,  and  thus  show  off  the  fair  gazers  to  the  admiration  of  the 
spectators.  At  present  there  were  not  many  ladies  about.  Our 
steamer  was  evidently  the  "husband's  boat;"  and  they  were  listen- 
ing to  the  gossip  of  Const-uitinople  in  their  own  houses. 

We  took  a  stroll  through  the  body  of  the  village,  which  con- 
sisted of  a  congeries  of  little  thoroughfores  —  they  could  not  be 
called  streets  —  rudely  paved,  and  not  broader  than  the  Ilaymarket 
footpath.  At  the  doors  of  the  houses,  the  girls  were  sitting, 
according  to  custom,  all  without  bonnets,  and  mostly  very  pretty. 
There  were,  also,  more  coffee-houses ;  but  these  inland  ones  had 
no  fireworks.  We  were  obliged  to  buy  lanterns  here,  to  go  about 
with,  as  at  Constantinople ;  for  the  night  was  dark,  and  several  of 
the  lanes  had  open  gutters  running  along  the  middle  of  them. 
When  we  had  walked  enough,  we  came  back  to  the  hotel  and  went 
to  bed.  The  house  was  so  slightly  built,  tliat  the  least  noise  was 
heard  all  over  it ;  and  the  boards  bent  and  croaked  when  you  trod 
on  them,  in  a  manner  that  was  perfectly  awful.  iMy  bedroom  was 
over  the  storehouse ;  and  the  jilanks  of  the  floor  had  so  slirunk,  that 
when  any  one  came  below  witli  a  candle,  the  reflection  of  tlieir 
divisions  ran  all  along  the  ceiling  in  l)ars  of  light.  The  only  orna- 
ment of  my  chamber  was  a  picture  of  a  ship  by  a  native  artist. 
His  ideas  had  been  more  extensive  tlian  Ills  canvas;  for,  wisliing  to 
portray  an  immense  vessel,  he  had  comiiu'ucL'd  her  on  so  large  a  scale, 
that  he  found  he  had  left  no  room  for  her  topmasts ;  but  not  wish- 
ing to  omit  them   he  had  bent  them  down  at  right  angles,  and  so 


A    MOXTII    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  137 

finished  them  horizontally.  I  suppose  this  picture  may  rank  as  the 
•worst  in  the  world. 

We  were  up  at  seven  next  morning,  and  in  the  sea  ten  minutes 
afterwards.  My  two  friends  were  shaved  in  a  coffee-house.  The 
master  was  also  the  barber.  He  lathered  in  the  old-fashioned  style, 
with  his  hand  and  a  basin ;  and  he  kept  his  strop  tied  round  his 
waist.  His  razor  had  an  English  blade,  which  was  put  in  an  awk- 
ward wooden  handle.  The  floor  of  this  cafe  was  of  mud,  and  very 
uneven.  Lots  of  customers  were  there  already,  sitting  on  the 
benches,  like  tailors,  and  smoking  narghiles.  Prinkipo  was  evi- 
dently an  early  place.  All  the  Greek  girls  were  about  in  crowds, 
fresh  as  dewy  flowers ;  the  band  of  music  was  also  beginning  to 
play,  and  the  coffee-houses  generally  wore  filling.  All  the  dwell- 
in  irs  were  built  in  the  same  fragile  manner  as  the  hotels.  You 
imagined  a  grand  palace,  with  porches  and  columns ;  and  then  you 
came  close  to  it,  and  found  only  boards  painted  in  distemper,  like 
scenery. 

After  breakfast,  we  started,  on  donkeys,  to  make  an  excursion 
about  the  island.  The  animals  were  not  so  clever  as  their  Cairo 
bretlircn,  but  went  much  better  than  the  asses  in  England.  No 
whip  was  required :  the  proprietor,  on  starting,  gave  each  of  us  a 
skewer,  and  with  this  we  were  expected,  literally,  to  peg  into  the 
poor  devil's  shoulders.  The  least  touch,  however,  sufficed  to  start 
the  animal  into  an  amble.  We  skirted  an  iron  mine  —  the  entire 
island  is  composed  of  red  ferruginous  earth  and  stone  —  and  then 
passed  a  long  vineyard  of  curiously  small  grapes,  after  which  we 
came  upon  an  open  track  of  ground,  very  like  Ilampstead  Heath. 
Two  or  three  desolate-looking  monasteries  were  perclied  about  upon 
the  hills,  and  we  went  up  to  one  of  these.  The  inmates  were  all 
Greek.  The  principal  monk  showed  us  the  church  —  a  small, 
damp  building,  very  old,  with  some  tawdry  and  tarnished  saints 
about  it,  painted  and  gilt  as  usual.  On  the  lectern  was  a  testa- 
ment, and  the  priest  asked  me  to  show  him  how  the  English  read 
and  pronounced  Greek ;  and  was  surprised  to  hear  that  the  study 


188  A    MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


of  that  language  was  part  of  our  ordinary  school  education.  I 
afterwards  pencilled  down  the  commencenicnt  of  the  nativity  chap- 
ter iu  the  Diatessaron,  Kui  rxoiuevei  t^ouy  f  y  nj  /ojotj  ttj  uvtyj  uy^nv- 
Xovvjei,  &;c.,  and  asked  him  if  he  could  read  it.  This  he  did 
pretty  well,  but  with  a  pronunciation  entirely  different  to  ours ; 
indeed,  had  I  not  known  the  sentence  by  heart  —  it  having  formed 
part  of  an  old  "Doctor's  Day"  examination  —  I  could,  not  have 
understood  him. 

From  the  church,  wo  traversed  the  court,  in  which  were  many 
fine  goats;  and  a  boy  with  a  light  iron  collar  round  his  neck  —  merely 
to  show  that  he  was  a  culprit  —  was  at  work,  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  monks.  This  appeared  to  mc  to  be  a  far  better 
road  to  reform  than  the  prison  at  Constantinople.  Then  we  went 
up  stairs,  and  along  an  open  gallery,  into  which  the  cells  opened. 
One  of  these  had  a  divan  round  three  sides  of  it,  witli  a  wooden 
press  on  the  other ;  and  this  was  all  the  furniture.  Tlie  walls  and 
ceiling  were  of  wood,  and  none  of  it  was  painted.  The  windows 
commanded  beautiful  views  of  the  entire  island,  or  nearly  so  —  tlie 
Sea  of  Marmora,  and  the  opposite  coast  of  Scutari ;  but  it  must 
have  been  a  sad,  lonely,  and  exposed  place  in  winter. 

We  took  our  seats  on  the  divan,  concerning  whieli  article,  l)y  the 
way,  I  may  just  allude  to  an  odd  contnidietion  in  our  language. 
We  call  a  couch  to  sit  or  lie  upon,  a  sufu ;  and  b}'  a  divan  we 
generally  mean  a  room  appropriated  to  .'^iiiokiiig ;  ntjw,  by  a  .sofa 
the  Turks  mean  a  particular  room,  and  their  divan  is  a  long  soft 
settle  to  recline  on.  In  a  little  time,  an  elderly  woman  brought 
up  some  rakee  and  preserved  (juinee,  and  afterwards  coffee. 
Pipes  were  also  offered  to  the  guests;  and  then,  contributing  a 
trifle  each  to  the  box  of  the  convent,  we  took  our  leave.  I  am  .sure 
these  monks  were  good  creatures.  They  were  evidently  very  poor 
indeed;  but  there  was  a  cheerful  courtesy  about  tliem,  very  pleas- 
ing; and  the  mild  intelligence  of  their  fares  was  very  different  to 
that  of  the  scowling  priests  who  haunt  the  Italian  cities.  This 
convent  was  their  world :  they  seldom  h.'ft  it.  ami  the  casual  arrival 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


139 


of  strangers  was  possibly  their  greatest  excitement ;  for,  in  reality, 
their  position  was  far  more  lonely  than  that  of  the  Great  St.  Ber- 
nard monks,  who  see  as  much  and  as  varied  company,  during  the 
"  season,"  as  a  Rhine  hotel-keeper.  Europe  had  been  rent  by 
convulsions,  and  was  still  in  the  throes  of  fresh  troubles,  but 
Prince's  Island  was  too  much  out  of  the  way  for  any  one  to  disturb 
its  tranquillity ;  and  so  the  inmates  of  the  old  convents  lived  on, 
calmly  enough,  waiting  for  death,  and,  if  they  knew  no  great  joys, 
they  had  but  few  sorrows. 

We  had  great  excitement  all  the  way  down  the  hill.  The 
descent  was  on  smooth  grass,  and  our  saddles  were  not  of  a  first- 
rate  description,  but  kept  slipping  on  to  the  donkeys'  necks ;  and 
then  we  all  went  down  together.  This  happened  to  each  of  us 
three  or  four  times.  The  stirrups,  also,  were  fastened  to  the  same 
strap,  which  played  loosely  through  the  saddle ;  so  that  if  you  made 
too  great  an  inclination  on  one  side,  without  counteracting  it,  you 
came  over  that  way.  I  never  tumbled  about  so  much  as  on  that 
short  journey ;  but  the  grass  was  soft,  and  it  made  fun  enough. 

We  went  to  another  convent,  close  to  which  was  a  covered 
wooden  platform,  like  a  steward's  stand  at 
the  races,  only  much  lower.  Here  three 
or  four  handsome  girls  were  dancing  a 
polka  to  their  own  voices,  and  an  old  monk 
was  looking  on.  As  they  saw  us  approach, 
they  stopped,  and  flew  off,  like  startled 
deer,  into  the  adjoining  woods.  We  sat 
with  the  priest  a  little  time,  and  made  him 
a  present  of  some  sweetmeats,  which  a 
travelling  vendor  passed  with  at  that 
minute.  He  told  us  that  the  girls  had 
come  up  from  the  village,  and  that  it  did 
hira  good  to  see  them  dancing.  I  do  not 
wonder  at  this.     Calling  back  then:  pretty 


140  A   MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

faces  I  do  not  think  there  are  many  who  would  not  also  have  felt 
considerably  better  from  a  glimpse  of  them, 

We  spent  a  pleasant  idle  day  in  the  woods,  and  got  back  to  the 
village  between  four  and  five,  when  its  most  novel  and  charac- 
teristic feature  presented  itself.  The  whole  population  had  turned 
out,  to  walk  about  in  their  finest  clothes,  up  and  down  the  prom- 
enade in  front  of  the  wooden  cofFee-houscs.  All  the  seats  and  nar- 
ghiles were  engaged,  as  well  in  the  cilfes  as  on  the  sea-view  plat- 
form opposite.  Some  of  the  people  liad  evidently  taken  up  their 
positions  at  an  early  hour,  to  have  a  good  place ;  others  formed 
little  groups  in  the  porticos;  others  flitted  and  vandyked  about 
from  one  party  to  the  other. 

The  brilliancy  of  the  fine  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  walked  up 
and  down  to  be  looked  at,  was  beyond  all  conception ;  but  the 
most  curious  feature  of  all  this  was,  that,  in  their  overpowering  cos- 
tumes, there  was  no  particular  fashion  prevalent.  Everything  had 
evidently  been  made  from  a  book,  or  imported  from  some  da^^hing 
European  milliners,  but  at  all  sorts  of  periods ;  so  that  there  were 
long  and  short  petticoats,  and  wide  and  narrow  bonnets,  and  polkas 
and  mantillas,  and  summer  fly-away  scarfs  over  winter  dresses,  all 
jumbled  up  together  to  create  a  sensation  and  outshine  the  neigh- 
bors. There  were  few  fezzes  to  be  seen  now.  Tlie  wearers  had 
exchanged  them  for  glossy  silk  hats ;  and  tlioy  all  wore  gloves  of 
dazzling  hues. 

But  the  children  were  the  most  marvellous  of  all ;  and  one 
family  looked  as  if  they  wore  preparing  for  an  exhibition  of  ground 
and  lofty  tumbling,  so  brilliantly  outrt'  were  tlu'ir  costumes.  Two 
of  the  little  boys  were  attired  in  crimson  satin  trousers,  spanrjled, 
and  the  third  had  a  jM-M-fect  Highland  dress,  which  was  the  great 
hit  of  all.  With  a  bit  of  carpet  f»ir  the  latter  to  dance,  and  the 
others  to  posture  upon,  tlie  Inisinoss  would  have  been  complete. 
The  men  were  all  gents  —  as  tlioritiigh-))rc(l  as  might  have  been 
selected  from  the  combined  forees  of  Rosherville,  Epsom,  and  tlie 
public  ball-rooms  of  London.     Some,  for  display,  paid  for  the  blue 


A   MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  141 

candles  to  be  fired  by  daylight;  others  marched  up  and  down, 
several  abreast ;  and  all  evidently  had  the  notion  that,  got  up  so 
remarkably  well,  they  were  "  doing  it !  "  Amidst  the  throng, 
cajidjees  (waiters)  darted  about  with  little  morsels  of  incandescent 
wood  to  light  the  narghiles  with  :  boys  sold  walnuts,  ready  peeled, 
and  kept  in  glass  jars  of  water ;  and  sweetraeat-raen  plied  their 
trade.  Those  ladies  who  had  servants  made  them  walk  behind 
them  ;  and  those  who  had  not  sneered  at  the  others.  All  this  went 
on  for  two  or  three  hours.  There  was  not  one  trace  of  oriental  life 
in  the  entire  scene.  The  gravity  of  the  Levantine  had  entirely 
disappeared ;  and  a  restless,  fevered  wish  to  cut  out  the  others  was 
the  leading  attribute  of  every  character  there  assembled. 

We  sat  here  until  dusk,  when  it  got  cold,  and  the  gay  crowd  dis- 
appeared. Most  of  the  men  were  on  board  the  return  steamer  the 
next  morning,  but  tlieir  appearance  was  not  so  grand  as  on  the  pre- 
ceding evening.  They  looked  very  dirty,  and  they  made  their 
breakfast  from  a  cigarette.  But  I  dare  say  they  were  all  at 
Prinkipo  again  the  next  week,  as  brilliant  as  ever ;  and  so  on,  until 
the  cold  weather  drove  them  in,  like  fine  caterpillars,  to  hybcrnate, 
until  the  first  warmth  of  the  present  spring  shall  bring  them  out 
again,  more  wonderful  than  ever. 


12 


TUE   NABOniLE. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BAZAARS  GENERALLY.  — A  CAMEL  RIDE.  — A  BOAT-BUILDER. 

Whenever  I  had  a  leisure  day  at  Constantinople,  I  always 
spent  it  in  and  about  the  bazaars ;  finding  no  amusement  anywhere 
else  equal  to  this. 

These  bazaars  possess  one  great  advantage  over  our  establish- 
ments so  named  in  England.  You  can  stop  and  look  at  the  wares, 
without  the  stall-keeper  darting  upon  you  immediately,  and  asking 
you  what  you  want,  which  is  bad  policy,  for  it  always  drives  people 
immediately  away ;  whereas,  if  left  to  themselves,  they  might  pos- 
sibly select  something. 

Some  of  the  sharper  traders  in  the  bazaars  —  Jews  and  Armeni- 
ans—  are,  to  be  sure,  as  clamorous  as  butchers  in  the  low  neigh- 
borhoods. They  address  you  as  Kepten  —  meant  for  "  Captain," 
since  they  imagine  every  Frank  belongs,  in  some  way  or  another,  to 
a  ship.  They  will  sell  everything  readily  enough,  but  native  books ; 
and  these  a  traveller  has  great  difficulty  in  procuring;  indeed,  it  is 
next  to  impossible  to  purcha.sc  a  Koran.  I  wished  to  got  one  or 
two  primers,  or  children's  early  books,  but  could  not  find  a  single 
dealer  who  would  part  with  any ;  at  last,  ^Mr.  Taylor  kindly  pro- 
cured them  for  me,  through  his  lady,  who  is  a  Levantine.  These 
were  in  gilt  covers,  like  the  very  old  class  of  story-books,  and 
formed  of  thickish  paper,  mechanically  glazed.  The  writing  was 
all  done  by  hand,  and  the  title-page  at  the  end  was  daubed  with 
flowers  in  bright  scarlet,  blue,  and  green  colors.  Gold  leaf  was 
also  made  use  of  for  the  borders. 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  143 

I  had  great  difficulty  in  procuring  any  characteristic  views  or 
figures.  The  religion  of  the  Turks  forbids  them  to  make  the 
resemblance  of  any  living  thing ;  they  are  taught  by  the  Koran 
that  if  they  do  so  they  will  be  called  upon  hereafter  to  find  souls 
for  every  creation;  and,  failing  in  this,  they  will  be  irrevocably 
lost.  This  will  account  for  an  odd  coarse  lithograph  I  bought  one 
day ;  it  was  a  view  of  Stamboul,  from  the  Golden  Horn ;  all  the 
boats  were  about,  as  in  reality,  but  nobody  was  in  them,  and  the 
oars  appeared  to  be  working  themselves.  I  subjoin  a  fac-simile  of 
one  of  the  caiques  thus  depicted. 


The  two  articles  which  appeared  in  the  bazaars  in  greater  numbers 
than  any  other  wares,  were  slippers  and  spoons.  The  presence  of 
the  first  I  could  account  for.  They  are  much  worn  by  the  women, 
and  being  reasonable  in  price,  and  uncommonly  pretty  and  novel, 
are  purchased  in  numbers  by  visitors.  But  the  last  always  re- 
mained a  mystery.  They  were  very  large  and  made  of  horn  —  at 
least  the  bowls  appeared  to  be  ;  and  there  were  whole  rows  of  shops 
selling  nothing  else.  Now  and  then,  I  saw  knives  and  forks,  but 
there  were  very  few  of  these,  for  the  Turks  eat  with  their  fingers. 
As  this  fashion  is  not  well  adapted  to  soup,  I  suppose  the  spoons 
come  in,  at  times,  advantageously ;  but,  if  the  entire  population  of 
Constantinople  were  to  be  eatihg  soup  all  at  once,  they  would  still 
be  overstocked  with  spoons  by  many  thousands.  Demetri  could 
give  me  no  information  on  the  subject. 

Another  great  amusement  for  me  was  to  sit  on  the  steps,  in  the 
shade  thrown  by  the  projecting  roof  of  some  fountain,  and  watch 
the  camels  coming  into  the  city  and  departing.     One  day  I  had  a 


144  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

ride.  There  is  a  common  error,  prevalent  with  us,  that  the  camel 
and  dromedary  differ  as  to  their  humps  —  one  having  two,  and  the 
other  only  one.  This  is  not  the  case  :  each  has  but  a  single  hump, 
but  the  dromedary  is  of  lighter  build  and  greater  speed  than  the 
camel.     He  stands  to.  the  latter  as  the  hunter  to  the  pack-horse. 

The  animal  I  got  was  a  common  baggage  camel  —  very  savage 
and  stubborn,  crying  loudly,  and  running  backwards  when  beaten  ; 
80  that  my  first  experience  was  not  a  very  pleasant  one.  He  knelt 
down  for  me  to  get  upon  him,  but  even  then  it  was  a  long  stretch 
to  cross  his  back.  Subsequently,  in  Egypt,  I  learned  to  vault  on 
to  the  saddle  —  if,  indeed,  the  package  of  old  carpet,  straw  and 
wood-work  could  be  called  one.  In  front  there  is  a  higli  pommel, 
which  you  clutch  hold  of  when  the  animal  rises.  If  you  did  not  do 
this,  the  pitching  forwards  and  backwards  is  so  violent,  that  you 
would  inevitably  be  thrown  off.  You  have  only  a  simple  single 
halter  to  guide  him  with,  and  the  end  of  this  is  sufficiently  long  to 
beat  him.  I  will  own  to  having  been  in  a  terrible  friglit  all  tlic  while 
I  was  on  his  back.  With  his  uneasy  rocking  motion,  I  had  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  the  world  to  keep  on,  and  the  fall  from  my  ele- 
vated perch  —  for  such  it  really  was  —  would  have  been  no  joke; 
and  when  he  trotted,  it  was  enough  to  bring  the  heart  into  the  mouth. 
If  I  were  asked  to  describe  the  first  sensations  of  a  camel  ride,  I 
would  say  :  Take  a  music  stool,  and,  having  wound  it  up  as  high  as 
it  will  go,  put  it  in  a  cart  without  springs,  get  on  the  top,  and  next 
drive  the  cart  transversely  across  a  ploughed  field,  and  you  will 
then  form  some  notion  of  the  terror  and  uni^crtainty  you  would 
experience  the  first  time  you  mounted  a  (taiiicl.  To  make  him  go 
fast,  you  cry  "  su !  sii!  "  and  also  make  a  noise  with  your  tongue, 
something  like  the  word  "  t/ihir/,- .' ''  —  and  to  get  him  to  kneel 
down,  you  pull  his  neck  sideways  and  downwards,  and  produce  a 
crepitating  sound  by  pressing  your  tongue  against  the  back  of  your 
teeth.  At  first,  a  very  shoi-t  journey  is  very  fatiguing,  and  gives 
one  the  lumbago  for  a  week ;  but  afterwards,  the  see-saw  motion 
becomes  so  little  cared  for,  that  I  can  well  understand  folks  going 


A   MOXTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  145 

to  sleep  on  a  camel.  Once,  in  the  desert,  on  a  very  hot  day,  I 
nearly  dozed  off  myself. 

There  are  not  nearly  so  many  camels  to  be  seen  in  Constanti- 
nople as  at  Smyrna.  At  Scutari  one  meets  with  a  larger  number 
than  in  Stamboul ;  but  the  Bosphorus  brings  all  sorts  of  wares  so 
readily  to  the  Grolden  Horn  that  caravan  transport  is  less  necessary. 

When  one  has  seen  enough  of  the  bazaars,  there  is  no  other 
pastime  but  being  rowed  about  in  the  caiques.  These  boats,  of 
which  I  have  spoken  several  times,  are  beautifully  made,  and  very 
light.  They  sell  capital  models  of  them  at  the  different  hotels,  but 
these  they  were  out  of  at  our  house,  and  I  went  with  Demetri  to 
seek  the  manufacturer  —  who  monopolizes  the  trade  in  this  depart- 
ment—  and  ordered  one.  I  was  told  he  lived  at  Pera,  but  I  found 
his  habitation  much  more  original  than  I  had  expected  it  to  be.  We 
turned  from  the  main  street  on  the  right,  and  arrived  at  the  scene 
of  a  great  fire.  Acres  of  houses  had  been  burnt  down,  of  which 
no  remains  were  left,  as  usual,  but  the  chimneys ;  and  nobody  had 
as  yet  taken  heart  to  build  them  up  again. 

Demetri  wandered  about  for  some  time  among  the  ruins,  and  at 
last  found  a  little  grated  window,  almost  level  with  the  ground, 
through  which  he  shouted.  His  cry  was  returned,  and  directly 
afterwards  a  man  crept  from  a  small  cellar,  and  stood  before  us. 
This  was  the  manufacturer.  He  was  a  poor  Glreek,  and  usually 
lived  about  amongst  the  ruins,  until  they  were  repaired.  Possibly 
by  that  time  another  fire  occurred,  and  he  changed  his  quarters,'  his 
furniture  never  being  beyond  what  he  and  his  wife  —  for  he  was 
married  —  could  transport  by  themselves  in  a  few  minutes.  Cer- 
tainly, he  stood  but  very  little  chance  of  being  annoyed  by  visitors, 
for  I  might  have  passed  his  burrow  any  number  of  times  before  I 
should  have  noticed  it.  Demetri  discovered  it  readily  by  getting 
certain  chimneys  in  a  line,  as  a  pilot  fixes  his  course  by  landmarks. 

This  man  was  not  the  only  wandering  inhabitant  of  Pera.  Just 
above  our  hotel,  on  another  burnt-away  space,  some  vagrants  had 
formed  a  small  encampment;  and  their  fire  often  lighted  the  otherwise 
12* 


146  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

dark  street,  as  I  came  home  at  night.  It  was  curious  to  see  the 
dogs  here,  sitting  patiently,  and  waiting  for  such  scraps  as  even  these 
poor  devils  had  to  throw  away.  The  watchmen  did  not  appear  to 
interfere  with  them.  Possibly  they  thought  that,  as  long  as  the 
scamps  were  there,  they  were  comparatively  out  of  mischief. 

I  suppose  there  are  more  rascals  living  in  and  about  Pera,  than 
in  any  other  place  in  the  world  —  I  speak,  of  course,  in  proportion 
to  the  census.  When  a  Frank  does  anything  wrong,  he  is  judged 
by  his  ambassador,  according  to  the  laws  of  his  country.  One  of 
our  under-waiters  robbed  a  llussian  gentleman,  who  was  staying  iu 
the  house,  of  an  hundred  Spanish  dollars.  The  fellow  was  caught 
at  Buyukdere,  living  in  extravagance  at  the  very  hotel  of  which  I 
have  spoken.  He  was  brought  back,  examined,  and  ordered  to 
Trieste,  to  bo  imprisoned  or  otherwise  punished.  The  master  of 
the  hotel  went  to  the  boat  with  him ;  this  was  a  supplementary 
steamer,  that  had  come  up  from  Syria,  and  was  therefore  in  quar- 
antine. When  they  got  alongside  the  boat,  the  landlord  did  not 
think  about  the  yellow  flag,  but  ran  up  the  companion,  pushing  by 
some  of  the  sailors,  to  explain  the  matter  privately  to  the  captain. 
Of  course  he  was  immediately  in  quarantine,  and  for  a  week  ! 

I  believe  the  matter  was  subsequently  arranged,  and  pratique 
given,  after  a  day  or  two ;  but  the  whole  business  was  exceedingly 
absurd.  Some  sort  of  amelioration  of  the  Levantine  laws  relating  to 
quarantine,  was  in  agitation  last  autumn.  It  is  high  time  that  tliey 
were  aboli^^hed,  except  during  seasons  of  avowed  illness  and  infec- 
tion. But  so  many  luive  said  so  before,  and  so  many  have  experi- 
enced the  wretehcdnos.i,  extortion,  and  groundless  imprisonment, 
calling  up  tliese  remonstrances,  that  I  will  no  further  bore  the 
reader,  comfortal)ly  at  liberty  in  England,  with  the  subject.  Suf- 
fice to  .«ay  tliat,  as  far  as  Coiistantino])lc  is  concerned,  there  has  not 
been  a  case  of  plague  there  for  several  years. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

THERAPIA  AND  BELGRADE. 

OxE  day  I  received  an  invitation  to  stay  at  Therapia  with  a 
friend,  who  is  the  Constantinople  correspondent  for  two  of  our 
papers.  He  came  down  to  Pera  to  fetch  ms,  and  we  went  up  the 
Bosphoinis  in  a  steamer.  There  was  the  same  trouble  to  clear  off — 
the  same  shattering  of  the  Galata  Bridge  wood-work,  and  constant 
disturbance  of  the  passengers,  who  were  all  apparently  of  the 
same  family  —  that  I  had  noticed  on  board  the  boat  to  Prince's 
Islands. 

Therapia  is  about  an  hour  and  a  half  from  the  Golden  Horn. 
It  was  a  fine  Friday  afternoon,  and  all  along  the  sides  of  the  Bos- 
phorus,  wherever  there  was  a  Turkish  palace,  the  women  were 
sitting  on  the  walls,  in  every  tint  of  costume,  watching  the  traffic 
on  the  water.  Passengers  were  put  out  and  taken  in  at  several 
points,  always  by  means  of  boats  ;  and  they  carried  the  same  useless 
luggage  that  their  compatriots  had  done  at  Prinkipo. 

My  friend's  house  was  a  thin  wooden  two-story  building,  that 
rattled  and  shook  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  when  anybody  went 
up  stairs,  or  walked  about  the  bed-rooms.  There  were  large  gaps 
in  the  floor  and  ceiling,  and  the  wind  came  in  generally  at  all 
points.  Daly  —  as  I  shall  call  my  friend  —  told  me  that  once,  as 
he  was  lying  in  bed  looking  at  a  bole  in  the  ceiling,  formed  by  a 
knot  having  follen  out,  he  saw  a  rat  put  his  head  through  the 
aperture,  to  peep  about  him,  and  nearly  get  fixed  there.  He  also 
told  me  that  stone  houses  were  not  such  a  protection  against  fire  as 


148  A   MONTH  AT  CONSTANTINOPLE. 

might  be  conceived ;  for  now  and  then,  when  one  had  caught,  ho 
had  seen  the  flames  rush  up  inside,  from  bottom  to  top,  as  though 
in  a  kiln. 

All  the  houses  at  Therapia  were  of  the  same  order :  they  aru 
ovens  in  summer,  and  icebergs  in  winter ;  and  I  cannot  imagine 
how  the  poor  people  keep  life  and  soul  together  in  them,  when  the 
freezing  winds  come  sweeping  by  them  from  the  Euxine.  I  ho 
windows  arc  like  ours,  but  without  balance  weights.  When  you, 
have  lifted  them  up  you  keep  them  so  by  a  piece  of  stick,  or  by 
opening  a  hinge ;  and  now  and  then  you  disturb  a  scorpion  in  bo 
doing.  I  found  the  mummy  of  a  tolerably  large  one  at  the  botionv 
of  a  water-jug,  into  which  he  had  tumbled  and  died. 

There  is  a  poor  hotel  at  Therapia,  the  greatest  recommendatioh 
of  which  is,  it  is  over  a  general  shop,  whereat  you  can  procure  any 
quantity  of  pale  ale  —  an  inestimable  blessing  where  wine  is  atro- 
ciously bad,  and  decent  brandy  unknown.  The  inhabitants  are  all 
Greeks,  and  the  women  wear  pretty  coquettish  jackets.  They 
almost  equal  the  Turks  in  their  love  of  sitting  on  a  high  place,  and 
doing  nothing.  In  this  case,  the  most  popular  haunt  was  a  scrap 
of  burying-ground  rising  up  behind  and  above  our  house,  and 
shaded  by  tine  trees.  Here  were  several  tombstones  to  the  mem- 
ory of  English  sailors ;  but  the  cutting  had  been  committed  to 
Greek  work -people,,  and,  in  some  instances,  the  inscriptions  were 
intelligible  with  difficulty. 

I  walked  out  the  first  evening,  for  a  stroll,  along  the  edge  of  the 
Bosphorus ;  the  road  being  a  small  flint-paved  path  between  the 
houses  and  the  water,  unaj)proach;ible  for  carriages.  It  was  a  cold, 
wintry-looking  niglit,  and  the  sj)ent  swell  of  the  Euxine  was  lapping 
and  splashing  against  the  f[nay.  But  the  lights  along  Buyukdere 
and  the  Asiatitj  coast  were  very  cfTci'tive  ;  and  tlie  occasional  sound 
of  a  tinkling  guitar,  or  the  voire  of  a  (J reek  girl  singing,  gave  a 
sufiicicntly  romantic  air  to  the  scene. 

We  had  swonl-tish  for  su[)j)ur  that  evening.  It  was  of  excellent 
flavor,  and  far  more  delicate  than  would  be  imagined,  from  looking 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  149 

at  the  huge  specimens  of  the  tribe  hung  up  at  the  shops,  — 
some  having  been  caught  that  weighed  eighty  pounds.  I  may 
mention,  by  the  way,  that  every  kind  of  fish  is  taken  in  the  Bos- 
phorus.  Some  of  the  specimens  are  very  beautiful,  but  the  shop- 
keepers do  not  see  the  use  of  displaying  them  to  advantage,  as  we 
may  observe  at  our  fishmongers. 

Whilst  I  was  at  Therapia,  I  had  the  honor  of  receiving  an  invi- 
tation from  Sir  Stratford  Canning,  to  the  Embassy,  which  is  situated 
on  the  side  of  the  Bosphorus.  The  palace  of  our  Ambassador  at 
Pera  was  burnt  down  in  1831 ;  and  a  new  one  is  nearly  completed, 
under  the  able  direction  of  Mr.  Smith  —  it  is  needless  to  say,  an 
English  architect  —  to  whose  taste  and  experience  Pera  and  the 
Bosphorus  will  soon  be  indebted  for  most  of  their  finest  buildings. 
Our  Ambassador's  house  at  Therapia  is  charmingly  situated.  Ex- 
treme good  taste  and  refined  comfort  are  visible  everywhere; 
sufiicient  in  themselves  to  leave  an  agreeable  recollection,  quite 
apart  from  the  amiable  courtesy  exhibited  to  the  visitor. 

A  ride  to  Belgrade  was  proposed,  and  we  formed  a  large  party 
— ten  or  twelve  in  all.  This  village  is  two  or  three  hours  from 
Therapia.  It  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  Belgrade  on  the 
Danube,  six  hundred  miles  away  —  for  I  have  heard  more  than 
one  traveller  make  this  mistake  before  he  has  been  there  —  but  it 
is  still  an  important  place  in  its  way,  inasmuch  as  the  greater  part 
of  the  water  that  supplies  Constantinople  is  collected  about  it.  It 
is,  so  to  speak,  the  "  New  River  Head  "  to  that  city.  How  this  is 
managed,  I  will  endeavor  to  explain. 

Belgrade  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  a  large  and  finely-wooded 
forest,  about  which  several  springs  rise  and  form  small  rivulets. 
This  wood  is  very  carefully  preserved,  for  the  shade  of  its  foliage 
prevents  the  ground  from  becoming  heated,  and  the  springs,  there- 
fore, from  drying  up.  The  country  is  very  irregular,  and  the  rivu- 
lets, of  course,  collect  into  some  ravine  by  chance  channels,  to  form 
a  larger  stream.  The  ravine  is  then  dammed  up,  and  the  body  of 
water  thus  formed,  with  its  masonry,  is  termed  a  bend.     When  a 


150  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

street-boy  in  tovra  blocks  up  a  gutter  with  mud  and  rubbish,  to 
make  a  pool  behind  it,  he  constructs  a  bend  on  a  minor  scale. 

The  next  task  is  to  convey  the  water  to  Constantinople.  Aque- 
ducts for  that  distance  would  be  very  expensive,  and  so  it  flows 
through  underground  pipes,  —  at  least  for  the  greater  proportion  of 
the  distance.  Every  now  and  then,  at  particular  levels,  it  ascends 
to  the  top  of  a  pyramidal  tower,  called  a  Soiderazy,  whence  it 
again  passes  underground,  having  come  in  contact  with  the  air,  to 
the  next  conduit.  The  advantages  of  this  system  are,  that  it  Is 
comparatively  inexpensive,  and  it  enables  the  superintendent  to  tell 
readily  at  what  point  any  leak  or  obstruction  may  occur,  which  he 
could  not  do,  if  it  flowed  continuously  underground.  Neither  in 
that  case  could  it  come  in  contact  with  the  air,  and  so  be 
freshened. 

The  ride  from  Therapia  to  Belgrade  is  very  beautiful ;  and  prob- 
ably there  is  no  patcli  of  country  in  the  East  that  will  remind  an 
Englishman  so  forcibly  of  home.  Oaks,  beeches  and  elms  grow 
in  thick  luxuriance :  now  the  traveller  passes  a  regular  common  of 
brushwood ;  now  he  finds  himself  in  a  grassy  glade,  that  might 
have  been  transplanted  just  as  it  is,  by  magic  power,  from  Wind- 
sor Forest.  All  the  low  ground  is  rich  in  sylvan  loveliness ;  and 
all  the  u[hland  commands  the  most  beautiful  views ;  whilst  the 
village  itself  is  perfect.  The  grass,  wliero  not  too  much  exposed 
to  the  sun,  is  of  lawn-like  smootliiicss  and  verdure,  and  the  trees 
are  nearly  as  fine  as  the  giants  near  Buyukdere.  It  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at,  that,  j)ossessing  these  cliaruis,  Belgrade  should  be  a 
favorite  resort  of  the  Armenian  and  French  population  of  Con- 
stantinople. It  is  to  them  wliat  the  A'alley  of  Sweet  Waters  is  to 
the  Turks;  they  spciid  all  their  summer  holidays  here,  and,  indeed, 
many  families  reside  in  the  ncighborliood  entirely,  during  the 
spring. 

Lady  Mary  Wortley  IMontagu's  description  of  Belgrade  is  so 
very  true,  even  at  a  distance  of  a  Imndred  and  thirty-three  years, 
that  I  will  quote  it,  to  recall  it  at  once  to  the  memory  of  my 


A   MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  161 

readers  —  especially  as  its  shortness  will  acquit  mc  of  a  charge  of 
book-making.  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Pope,  she  says  —  "The  heats 
of  Constantinople  have  driven  me  to  this  place,  which  perfectly 
answers  the  description  of  the  Elysian  fields.  I  am  in  the  middle 
of  a  wood,  consisting  chiefly  of  fruit  trees,  watered  by  a  vast  num- 
ber of  fountains,  famous  for  the  excellency  of  their  water,  and 
divided  into  many  shady  walks,  upon  short  grass,  that  seems  to  me 
artificial,  but  I  am  assured  is  the  pure  work  of  Nature ;  and  within 
view  of  the  Black  Sea,  from  whence  we  perpetually  enjoy  the 
refreshment  of  cool  breezes,  that  make  us  insensible  of  the  heat  of 
summer.  The  village  is  only  inhabited  by  the  richest  amongst  the 
Christians,  who  meet  every  night  at  a  fountain,  forty  paces  from  my 
house,  to  sing  and  dance.  The  beauty  and  dress  of  the  women 
exactly  resemble  the  ideas  of  the  ancient  nymphs,  as  they  are  given 
us  by  the  representatiim  of  the  poets  and  the  painters."  She  goes  on 
to  write  of,  "  the  profound  ignorance  I  am  in  of  what  passes  among 
the  living,  (which  only  comes  to  me  by  chance,)  and  the  great 
calm  with  which  I  receive  it.  *  *  *  To  say  truth,  I  am  sometimes 
very  weary  of  the  singing  and  dancing,  and  sunshine,  and  wish  for 
the  smoke  and  impertinences  in  which  you  toil,  though  I  endeavor 
to  persuade  myself  that  I  live  in  a  more  agreeable  variety  than  you 
do:  and  that  Monday,  setting  of  partridges  —  Tuesday,  reading 
English  —  Wednesday,  studying  in  the  Turkish  language  (in 
which,  by  tlie  way,  I  am  already  very  learned)  —  Thursday, 
classical  authors  —  Friday,  spent  in  writing  —  Saturday,  at  my 
needle  —  and  Sunday,  admitting  of  visits,  and  hearing  of  music  — 
is  a  better  way  of  disposing  of  the  week,  than  Monday,  at  the 
drawing-room  —  Tuesday,  Lady  Mohun's  —  Wednesday,  at  the 
Opera  —  Thursday,  the  play  —  Friday,  3Irs.  Chetwynd's,  &c., — 
a  perpetual  round  of  hearing  the  same  scandal,  and  seeing  the  same 
follies  acted  over  and  over,  which  here  affect  me  no  more  than  they 
do  other  dead  people.  I  can  now  hear  of  displeasing  things  with 
pity,  and  without  indignation.  The  reflection  on  the  great  gulf 
between  you  and  me,   cools  all  news  that  come  hither.     I  can 


152  .A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

neither  be  sensibly  touched  with  joy  nor  grief,  when  I  consider 
that  possibly  the  cause  of  either  is  removed  before  the  letter  comes 
to  my  hands." 

We  had  a  lovely  afternoon  ride  back  to  Therapia,  rendered  still 
more  delightful  by  the  general  conversation  that  characterized  it. 
I  had  the  honor  of  dining  at  the  Embassy  that  evening'.  Not 
being  one  of  those  charmingly  frank  writers,  who  can  make  large 
books  entirely  from  the  conversation  and  social  opinions  of  the 
private  circles  into  which  they  may  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  be 
admitted,  I  fear  I  must  disappoint  many  in  not  furni.shing  them 
with  a  report  of  everything  that  was  done  and  said  on  this  occasion. 

But  I  hope  that  my  silence  on  this  point,  will  in  no  manner  lead 
those  whose  good  opinion  I  mostly  wish  to  keep,  in  the  present 
instance,  to  think  that  I  have,  in  the  smallest  particular,  forgotten 
that  most  agreeable  evening ;  or  am,  in  any  way,  unmindful  or 
unappreciative  of  the  kind  welcome  and  graceful  courtesy  that  dis- 
tinguished it. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

DEPABTUB.E  FOR  EGYPT. 

One  of  the  most  difficult  social  points  to  understand  at  Constan- 
tinople is  the  time  of  day ;  to  be  up  to  it  requires  a  more  careful 
application  than  even  our  received  signification  of  that  degree  of 
intelligence  calls  for.  Of  all  things  he  has  brought  with  him,  a 
traveller  will  find  his  watch  the  most  useful. 

There  are  no  public  clocks,  and,  if  there  were,  they  would  be  of 
little  use,  for  they  would  have  to  be  set  every  evening,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  Turkish  arrangement  of  time.  The  Moslems  divide 
their  day  and  night  into  twenty-four  hours ;  but  these  begin  at  a 
different  period  every  day,  since  they  are  guided  entirely  by  sunset. 
An  hour  after  that  time  it  is  one  o'clock ;  and  then  they  go  on  till 
twelve  have  been  counted,  when  they  begin  again ;  «o  that  noon 
may  arrive  at  all  sorts  of  hours,  according  to  the  length  of  the 
days. 

At  sunset,  the  muezzim,  as  he  is  named,  makes  one  of  his  calls 
to  prayers  from  the  summit  of  the  minarets.  There  is  something 
very  musical  in  his  chant ;  and  it  is  astonishing  how  far  he  can 
make  himself  heard.  The  common  expression  of  belief,  "  La  allah 
illah  allah  Mohammet  resool  allah,^''  (there  is  but  one  God,  and 
Mahomet  is  his  prophet,)  forms  the  chief  part  of  his  summons  to 
prayer.  The  window  of  my  room  at  Pera  overlooked  one  or  two 
minarets,  and  the  sound  of  the  voices  of  the  Muezzims  blending 
together,  not  inharmouiously,  in  the  repose  of  sunset,  was  very 
impressive. 

13 


154 


A    MONTU    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 


"■^fJSi: 


With  no  clocks,  and  this  wild  divis- 
ion of  time  —  with  few  names  to  the 
streets  —  and  no  methods  of  giving 
publicity  to  anything,  it  may  be  imag- 
ined that  no  little  research  amongst  the 
dirty  and  intricate  lanes  of  Galata,  is 
necessary  to  find  out  any  matters  relat- 
ing to  the  departure  of  the  steamboats. 
I  was  desirous,  as  I  have  said,  of  going 
down  to  Egypt  from  Constantinople ;  and 
I  could  not  arrive  at  any  satisfactory 
information  as  to  the  starting  of  any  of 
tho  boats.  The  Nile  was  still  in  the 
Golden  Horn,  and  her  quarantine  was 
over,  but  her  English  engineer  told  me 
he  did  not  know  when  she  would  start, 
—  that  she  was  a  fast  boat,  and  ran 

down,  sometimes,  in  three  days  and  a  half;  but  that,  for  this 
voyage,  all  her  first  and  second  berths  had  been  taken  by  the  govern- 
ment. I  could  have  gone  as  a  deck  passenger,  had  I  pleased ;  but 
the  appearance  of  the  Arabs  loitering  about  was  not  very  pleasant, 
so  I  gave  up  that  mode. 

There  was  also  an  English  boat,  which  touched  at  Beyrout,  but 
this,  also,  I  declined ;  for  there  was  a  quarantine  at  Alexandria  of 
ten  days  upon  all  vessels  arriving  from  Syria ;  and  nothing  repays 
one  for  tho  misery  of  an  Eastern  lazaretto.  "  Imprisonment,  with 
the  chance  of  catching  the  plague,"  is  bad  at  all  times,  but  in 
the  Levant  it  Ls  insufferable. 

The  Austrian  Lloyd's  Company  was  my  last  resource,  and  they 
had  a  correspondence,  at  Smyrna,  witli  an  Alexandrian  boat  coming 
down  from  Trieste.  They  were  uncertain,  however,  about  starting. 
Once,  already,  they  had  put  me  off  a  week,  when  I  had  got 
everything  packed  up.  However,  they  assured  me,  at  last,  that 
they  were  certain  to  start  on  a  particular  day,  and  I  took  my  berth. 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  155 

I  regret  that  it  was  only  during  the  short  period  between  my 
visit  to  Therapia  and  my  departure  from  Constantinople,  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  making  the  acquaintance  of  Mr,  Smith,  the  architect,  at 
Pera.  I  went  over  the  new  palace,  which  he  was  building  for  the 
English  Ambassador,  and  was  struck  by  the  skill  with  which  he 
had  produced  a  more  splendid  effect  than  the  actual  dimensions  of 
the  building  appeared  capable  of  allowing.  By  this  time  it  must  be 
completed ;  indeed,  I  heard  that  Sir  Stratford  Canning  had  arrived 
there  at  the  beginning  of  February. 

Mr.  Smith  showed  me  two  marvellously  handsome  snuff-boxes, 
set  with  diamonds,  that  had  been  given  to  him  by  the  Sultan  — 
one  of  them  on  the  occasioi^  of  his  finishing  the  Pera  Theatre,  the 
stage  of  which,  he  told  me,  was  thirty-five  feet  across  at  the  Pro- 
scenium. This  is  only  five  feet  less  than  Drury  Lane.  I  after- 
wards had  the  pleasure  of  dining  with  him.  His  house,  at  Pera,  is 
the  most  thoroughly  English,  in  point  of  comfort,  that  I  saw  in  the 
East;  and  I  could  scarcely,  at  first,  understand  again  feeling 
my  feet  on  stair-carpets.  Looking  at  the  elegant  manner  in  which 
the  entire  house  was  furnished,  I  trembled  to  think  of  the  loss, 
should  one  of  the  wretched  Pera  fires  include  it  in  the  devastation. 
His  amiable  lady,  who  is  a  native  of  Barcelona,  told  me  many 
interesting  anecdotes  connected  with  Turkish  domestic  life ;  with 
the  details  of  which  she  is  very  familiar,  by  visiting  many  of  the 
native  families.  She  had  lately  been  to  a  wedding,  where  the  bride 
was  only  ten  years  of  age,  and  the  bridegroom  fourteen.  The  little 
lady  had  a  star  of  diamonds  stuck  between  her  eyes,  two  on  her 
cheeks,  and  one  on  her  chin.  She  did  not  give  the  Turkish  women 
in  general  a  high  character ;  but  spoke  of  them  as  silly,  and  very 
careless  in  their  conversation,  smearing  themselves  also  with  paint, 
and  passing  the  whole  day  in  dressing  and  undressing,  for  lack  of 
other  occupation.  Some  of  the  Turkish  wives  are,  I  believe,  to  a 
certain  extent,  educated,  and,  indeed,  accomplished;  but  the 
greater  part  of  them  are  lamentably  ignorant. 

At  last,  the  day  arrived  for  my  departure.     It  was  already 


156  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

getting  cold  towards  evening  —  now  and  tlicn  bad  weather  made 
the  streets  all  but  impassable,  and  we  had  begun  to  dine  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  by  candlelight.  Much  ground,  too,  had 
yet  to  bo  traversed  before  I  was  again  in  England ;  and  so,  in 
spite  of  many  kind  requests  to  prolong  the  visit,  I  was  at  length 
obliged  to  leave  Constantinople,  and  I  did  so  with  real  regret ;  for, 
looking  back  to  the  friendships  I  established  there,  I  shall  always 
remember  my  sojourn  at  Pera  as  one  of  the  pleasantest  portions  of 
my  life. 

This  day  I  was  daguerreotypcd  by  an  artist  who  lived  at  the  top 
of  a  Pera  building,  in  a  hothouse  of  glass,  where  it  was  scarcely  pos- 
sible to  breathe.  The  portrait  has  been  copied  with  tolerable  accu- 
racy, and  it  may  explain  how  it  was  that  so  few  of  my  friends 
recognized  me  on  my  return.  But  the  comfort  of  a  beard,  when 
travelling,  to  the  abolition  of  shaving  tackle,  may  be  readily  con- 
ceived. 

Demetri  had  ordered  two  porters  to  come  to  the  hotel  for  our 
luggage,  but  six  arrived  instead,  upon  which  a  great  battle  was 
fought  in  the  street,  and  the  final  couple  —  apparently  having 
"fought  the  ties  off"  and  remained  the  victors  —  carried  our  lug- 
gage  down  to  the  Golden  Horn,  on  the  25th  of  September.  The 
Ferdinando  Primo,  one  of  the  Austrian  Lloyd's  boats,  was  getting 
her  steam  up,  and  at  half  past  four  she  started,  just  as  the  "  hus- 
band's boat "  was  leaving  the  bridge  for  Prinkipo,  with  the  same 
class  of  passengers  on  board,  quite  ready  to  dress  up  again  on  the 
Sunday,  and  walk  about  as  long  as  there  were  others  to  admire 
them,  or  fireworks  to  show  off  their  fasliionable  toilets. 

I  could  not  take  my  eyes  from  Constantinople  as  we  left  the 
port,  and  commenced  j)loughing  our  way  towards  the  Sea  of  Mar- 
mora ;  for  now,  in  addition  to  tlic  beauty  of  the  view,  there  was 
6omc  little  association  connected  with  almost  every  point  of  it  on 
which  the  eye  fell.  There  was  the  noble  Genoese  tower  above 
Stampa's  shop,  in  which  so  many  hours  had  been  laughed  away, 
aal  behind  that  minaret  was  the  window  of  our  bod-room  at  the 


A  MONTH  AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  157 

Hotel,  in  which,  on  evenings,  so  many  jolly  little  meetings  had 
been  held.  There  were  the  hills  over  which  we  had  such  famous 
gallops,  and  enjoyed  such  good  spirits ;  and  there  was  the 
Bosphorus,  and  the  site  of  the  little  cafe,  in  the  extreme  dis- 
tance, where  the  pickles  were  served  with  the  bottled  beer.  The 
Seraglio,  as  I  looked  at  it,  had  lost  all  its  mystery,  when  I  thought 
of  the  French  clocks,  and  gim-crack  furniture,  and  English  pictures 
that  it  contained ;  and  the  picturesque  tumble-down  houses  of 
Galata,  I  knew,  on  the  other  side,  were  ship-chandlers'  shops,  mer- 
chants' counting-houses,  ordinary  steam-packet  offices,  and  other 
material  establishments.  But  still  the  view  was  as  beautiful  as 
ever,  even  with  every  vivid  recollection  of  its  internal  dirt  and 
dilapidation ;  and,  loth  to  lose  it,  I  kept  my  eyes  fixed  on  the 
domes  and  minarets,  the  distant  Bosphorus  and  the  violet  hills 
above  it,  until  the  twilight  stole  over  them,  and  I  could  only  think 
of  Constantinople  as  a  bright  fleeting  vision  of  the  past. 

I  believe  that  my  companion  and  myself  were  the  only  two 
cabin  passengers,  and  we  were  in  the  fore  part.  But  on  the  deck 
there  were  a  great  many  jMoslems  —  Turks  and  Circassians  princi- 
pally —  on  their  way  to  Mecca,  for  their  pilgrimage.  Their 
encampment,  if  so  I  may  call  it,  was  a  curious  sight.  One  half, 
taken  longitudinally,  of  the  aft-deck  was  allotted  to  them.  Of 
this,  the  stem  portion  was  railed  off  into  a  species  of  pen,  in  which  the 
women  were  placed,  to  the  number  of  six  or  seven.  They  were  shut 
up  exactly  like  animals  at  a  fair.  Along  the  entire  length  of  the 
aft-deck  a  spar  was  hung,  over  their  heads ;  and  when  rain  came  on, 
they  put  canvas  on  this,  and  formed  a  species  of  tent.  Under  it 
each  made  his  "divan ";  for  the  quantity  of  carpets,  dirty  cushions, 
and  mattresses  they  carry  about  with  them,  when  travelling,  is 
incredible.  They  had  also  their  cooking  utensils,  and  the  filth 
they  prepared,  from  time  to  time,  is  equally  matter  of  difiicult 
belief 

At  certain  times,   they  all  went  te  prayers ;    those  who  had 

carpets  spread  them  out,  and  those  who  had  not,  took  off  their 
13* 


158  A   MONTH   AT  CONSTANTINOPLE. 

coats,  shook  them  well,  and  then  laid  them  down,  to  begin  upon, 
when  they  were  satisfied  in  their  minds  as  to  the  direction  of  the 
Kihla.  Tliis  is  the  point  at  which  Jlecca  is  situated  ;  and  if  any 
of  my  readers  have  a  Turkish  hearth-rug,  they  will  see,  at  the  end 
of  the  pattern,  a  point  or  angle,  which  is  always  turned  towards 
that  holy  city.  They  did  not  appear  to  care  where  they  estab- 
lished themselves  for  prayer,  but  dispersed  about  the  decks  com- 
pletely in  everybody's  way,  so  as  to  put  a  stop  to  all  walking  up 
and  down.  One  of  the  sailors  told  mo  that  they  usually  did  this ; 
but  that,  as  disturbing  them  might  lead  to  unpleasant  consequences, 
nothing  was  ever  done  to  annoy  them.  Some  prayed  for  a  long 
time  —  twenty  minutes,  perhaps ;  others  had  soon  finished  ;  but  all 
were  evidently  entirely  wrapped  up  in  their  devotions,  and  in  a 
state  of  utter  abstraction.  In  these  rites  the  women  took  no  part. 
They  had  rolled  themselves  up  into  bundles  when  they  caiiie  on 
board,  and  so,  to  all  appearance,  they  remained  to  the  end  of  the 
journey. 

All  the  Turks  were  old,  and  wore  turbans.  There  was  but  one 
in  the  simple  fez.  They  were  evidently  sticklers  for  the  strict  Mos- 
lem costume,  and  clung  to  its  decaying  insignia,  as  old  country- 
gentlemen  with  us  now  and  then  are  still  seen  with  Hessian  boots, 
powder,  and  bygone  hats.  One  ancient  Turk  had  a  turban  so  high 
that  its  volutes  were  twisted  six  or  seven  times  round  his  liead ; 
and  I  fancied  that  each  day  it  increased  in  importance.  Another 
—  a  Circa-ssian  —  had  a  very  strange  head-dress,  looking  for  all 
the  world  like  a  felt  sugar-loaf  pushed  through  a  black  mop.  He 
was  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  never  laid  any  of  his  accoutrements 
a.sidc  during  the  voyage.  Tlie  only  one  in  a  fez  was  the  head 
eunuch  of  the  royal  seraglio.  He  was  grandly  dressed  in  yellow 
silk,  spotted  with  scarlet,  and  blue  trousers.  He,  however,  wore 
European  boots  —  the  only  Frank  innovation  to  be  seen  amongst 
them. 

Yet  we  had  not  got  entirely  away  from  English  enterprise ;  for 
on  going  down  to  supper,  although  the  plates  bore  the  motto  "  Nav- 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  159 

igazione  a  vapor e  del  Lloyd  Austriaco,"  yet  on  the  back  there 
was  the  name  of  "  Davenport,"  on  the  familiar  scroll.  The  cabin 
was  small,  but  the  berths  were  clean,  and  we  had  our  choice  of  the 
entire  twelve.  I  did  not,  however,  sleep  very  well,  for  the  pillows 
and  mattresses  were  of  horsehair,  with  nothing  but  a  fine  sheet  over 
them,  so  that  the  little  ends  comins;  throu<!;h  caused  me  to  hear 
nearly  all  the  bells,  all  the  night  through. 

We  were  in  the  Dardanelles  early  next  morning ;  and  the  pro- 
cess of  washing  and  dressing,  in  the  cabin,  was  of  the  greatest 
interest  to  two  young  Arabs,  who  watched  us  through  the  sky-light 
with  the  keenest  curiosity.  They  called  one  of  their  fellows,  afler 
a  time,  and  especially  directed  his  attention  to  the  nail-brush,  and 
mimicked  what  I  had  been  doing  with  it.  In  the  cabin,  the  rules 
of  the  boat  were  hung  up,  in  five  languages  —  Italian,  German, 
Greek,  French,  and  English.  From  the  latter  I  copied,  "Rule 
12.  Passengers  having  a  right  to  be  treated  as  persons  of  educa- 
tion, will  no  doubt  conform  themselves  to  the  rules  of  good  society, 
by  respecting  their  fellow-travellers,  and  paying  a  due  regard  to 
the  fair  sex."  This  was  a  sensible  rule;  and,  indeed,  the  others 
were  equally  so.  I  never  saw  any  of  them  broken,  at  any  time, 
on  the  Mediterranean :  this  will  show  the  great  superiority  of  the 
second-class  places  in  the  foreign  boats,  over  the  same  division  in 
our  own.     I  am  sorry  to  confess  this,  but  it  is  the  case. 

\Ye  passed  the  Dardanelles  that  day,  from  which  the  people  put 
off  with  crockery  as  before,  and  the  Turks  each  purchased  a  huge 
water-jug.  At  night  I  saw  the  most  beautiful  sunset  I  had  ever 
witnessed.  The  sky  in  the  west  was  at  first  like  burnished  gold, 
with  silver  edges  to  the  clouds.  This  turned  to  a  bright  orange, 
streaked  horizontally  with  vermilion,  whilst  the  mountains  of  Asia 
Minor,  on  our  left,  were  tinted  with  the  richest  purple,  and  the 
whole  of  the  eastern  heavens  were  glowing  with  a  lovely  violet- 
There  was  very  little  wind ;  the  sea  was  as  smooth  as  a  canal,  and 
about  eight  on  the  following  morning  we  were  once  more  at 
Smyrna. 


160  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

We  now  found  that  we  were  to  change  our  boat,  and  as  this 
transfer  led  to  a  most  annoying  and  unpardonable  occurrence,  I 
shall  give  the  Austrian  Lloyd's  Company  the  entire  benefit  —  or 
otherwise  —  of  its  publicity.  We  had  been  assured  at  their  office 
in  Galata,  there  would  be  no  quarantine  on  our  arrival  at  Alexan- 
dria. The  same  intimation  was  given  to  us  at  Smyrna,  during  the 
day  and  a  half  we  stopped  there,  on  this  present  occasion ;  and,  so 
far  as  that  went,  our  minds  were  at  rest. 

We  spent  the  next  morning  in  making  a  few  farewell  purchases 
—  a  carpet  or  two;  some  drums  of  choice  figs  and  raisins,  and 
some  minor  souvenirs  which  were  left  in  the  care  of  Messrs.  Han- 
Bom,  to  be  forwarded  by  the  first  ship  to  England ;  and,  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  28th,  took  final  leave  of  Turkey. 

An  officer  from  the  health  office  accompanied  us  in  the  boat  to 
the  Wien,  another  vessel  belonging  to  the  Austrian  Lloyd's  fleet. 
I  supposed  this  was  usual,  and  thought  no  more  about  the  matter, 
until,  looking  up  by  chance,  after  I  got  on  board,  I  saw  the  yellow 
flag  flying.  I  asked  what  it  meant,  of  one  of  the  officers ;  but  ho 
was  very  busy,  and  passed  on  without  deigning  to  reply.  Pres- 
ently the  engineer  crept  out  of  the  engine-room,  and  he  had 
such  an  English  face  that  I  addressed  him  at  once  in  my  own 
tongue. 

"What's  that  mean,  sir?"  he  replied.  "Wliy,  that  means 
we  're  in  quarantine,  you  know." 

"  And  how  the  deuce  is  that  ?  " 

"  Because  the  boat  you  were  to  have  gone  down  to  '  Alexander  ' 
in,  is  out  of  order;  that's  her,  lying  out  there  —  the  Stamhoul. 
So  very  luckily  we  've  come  round  from  Beyrout,  and  we  're  going 
to  take  you  on." 

"Then  shall  we  be  subjected  to  the  Beyrout  quarantine,  on 
arriving  at  Alexandria?" 

"  Should  n't  wonder  at  all,  sir  —  unless  they  let  the  days  of  the 
voyage  count." 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLK.  161 

I  now  saw  that  we  were  trapped;  and  this  did  not  tend  to 
enliven  the  voyage  that  evening. 

Our  only  other  second  cabin  companion  was  a  French  priest  — 
a  thin  grim-looking  fellow  of  five  or  six-and-twenty,  so  spare  in 
form  that  he  looked  as  if  he  had  been  allowed  to  grow  up  between 
two  boards.  He  was  constantly  absorbed  in  a  little  dirty  volume 
on  Theology,  moving  his  lips  and  muttering  as  he  read.  He  was 
also  affectedly  humble  —  insisting  upon  pouring  out  wine  for  us 
at  dinner,  and  abstaining  from  it  himself,  with  an  unpleasant 
smile.  In  addition  to  this,  he  was  remarkably  grimy  to  look 
upon  ;  and  never  undressed  during  the  voyage.  But  he  had  great 
faith.  I  could  not  bring  him  to  understand  that  we  were  to  be  put 
into  quarantine  at  Alexandria ;  he  said,  it  was  impossible.  I 
put  the  case  as  practically  before  him  as  I  could,  but  he  only 
smiled  grimly,  and  said  I  should  see.  I  brought  the  captain  down 
at  last,  as  it  became  a  matter  of  personal  principle  that  he  should 
be  convinced ;  but  even  this  was  unsuccessful.  He  said  we  were 
all  wrong ;  and  then  returned  to  his  thumbed  volume. 

The  next  day,  the  29th,  there  was  a  pretty  stiff  wind,  and  the 
boat  began  to  toss,  as  she  left  the  Archipelago.  We  passed  many 
islands ;  all  desolate-looking  light  reddish-brown  rocks,  impressing 
one  with  notions  of  great  dreariness.  It  rained  towards  afternoon, 
and,  at  the  first  spit,  all  the  Turks  bundled  up  their  carpets,  crept 
under  their  long  awning,  and  never  appeared  again  for  the  rest  of 
the  journey.  One  or  two  of  the  Frank  deck  passengers  made 
friends  with  the  lieutenant,  and  came  down  into  our  cabin.  These 
were  an  Italian  physician,  driven  from  Verona  by  troubles,  and 
going  to  practise  in  Alexandria;  a  young  Hollander,  travelling 
for  an  Amsterdam  house  of  commerce;  M.  Abro,  the  Pasha's 
dragoman,  a  very  intelligent  and  communicative  person,  wearing 

the   full   Turkish   costume;  and   the    Count  Stefano   de ,  a 

young  Ionian,  speaking  a  little  English,  and  first  astonishing  us  by 
whistling  "  Patrick's  Day  "  and  "  The  girl  I  left  behind  me,"  as 
he  walked  up  and  down  the  deck  that  morning.    He  had,  however, 


162  A    MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

learnt  these  tunes  from  the  bands  of  our  regiments  at  Corfu.  He 
was  very  musical,  with  a  beautiful  tenor  voice,  and  proved,  both  on 
board  and  in  our  subsequent  quarantine,  a  capital  fellow.  lie  had 
known  Mademoiselle  Angri,  the  contralto  last  year  at  our  Royal 
Italian  Opera,  and  told  me  many  curious  anecdotes  connected  with 
her  early  career  —  her  father  having  been,  as  I  understood,  mess- 
man  at  Corfu,  and  keeper  of  the  billiard  tables.  lie  said  her  pop- 
ularity had  been  unbounded  in  the  islands ;  and  the  greatest 
anxiety  was  evinced  to  know  how  she  succeeded  in  London,  when 
she  had  left  them.  lie  added,  they  were  all  perfectly  convinced 
that  she  was  the  greatest  contralto  in  the  world ;  but  then  he 
had  not  heard  Alboni,  nor,  indeed,  had  the  report  of  her  Venetian 
triumphs  come  down  the  Adriatic. 

I  have  said  that  the  engineer  was  an  Englishman,  as,  indeed,  the 
majority  are,  in  the  Levant  boats.  He  had  been  on  the  stations 
between  Cairo  and  Constantinople  a  long  time  ;  and  now  knew  no 
other  world.  One  night,  1  was  asking  him  about  the  capabilities 
of  the  transit  boats  on  the  Mahmoudieh  Canal  and  the  Nile,  when 
he  told  me  this  anecdote,  which  I  have  put  down  as  well  as  I  can 
recollect,  in  his  own  words. 

"  Lor' bless  you,  sir,"  he  began — "the  power  of  the  boat 
hasn't  much  to  do  with  it  I  When  Marmed  Ali  started  his  boat  on 
the  Nile,  Abbas  Pacha  started  one  as  well,  and  fried  to  beat  liim  ; 
and  did  it  too,  though  his'n  was  n't  nigh  such  a  good  boat.  AVhcn 
Marmed  All's  boat  was  on  ahead,  Abbas  Paclia  used  to  come 
down  and  say,  '  Mr.  Ilorton,'  he  used  to  say,  '  we  must  lick  my 
uncle's  boat ;'  (leastwise  he  did  n't  say  lich,  but  he  meant  it  in  his 
tongue,  as  I  might  say),  and  then  he  u.«cd  to  go  on  and  say,  '  3Ir. 
Horton,'  he  'd  say,  '  we  '11  have  a  bottle  of  champagne  together,' 
says  he.  Now,  they  say  the  3Iustaphas  don't  drink,  but.  Lor' 
bless  us,  I  've  had  Abbas  so  overcome,  as  the  saying  is,  down  in 
the  cabin,  that  we  've  often  shut  the  doors  to  keep  it  a  secret. 
Well,  he  'd  send  down  the  champagne,  and  tlien  Abbas'  boat  would 
creep  up  to  Marmed's,  and  then  he  'd  send  down  another  bol  tie, 


A   MONTH  AT  CONSTANTINOrLE.  163 

and  then  we  'd  get  alongside  ;  and  then  another,  and  we  'd  go  right 
ahead.  I  don't  mean  to  say  that  we  used  to  put  the  champagne 
in  the  boiler ;  but,  you  may  depend  upon  it,  that  it  did  more  than 
the  coals,  and  so  it  will,  any  day." 

I  found  my  friend  was  a  very  great  man  on  board  his  boat.  He 
had  a  smart  cabin  of  his  own  below,  close  to  the  engine  room, 
where  the  thermometer  was  always  at  90° ;  and  from  the  heat,  the 
glare,  and  the  noise,  looked  next  door  to  the  infernal  regions. 
Here  he  reigned  supreme.  I  asked  him  how  he  agreed  with  the 
officers.  "Oh,"  he  replied,  "very  well;  it's  best  for  them  to 
keep  in  with  me.  Once  we  had  a  row  in  this  boat,  but  I  got  the 
best  of  it.  I  'm  allowed  a  cheese  a  week  for  my  own  store ;  and 
once  we  had  a  new  captain  between  Beyroot  and  Alexander  —  a 
cocky  chap,  who  was  going  to  set  everybody  to  rights  in  a  hurry  — 
and  he  never  sent  me  my  cheese.  Well,  what  did  I  do  ?  I 
was  n't  going  to  make  a  noise  about  it,  but  I  stopped  the  engines, 
and  let  the  boat  toss  about  for  half  an  hour,  until  he  came  to  his 
senses.  I  pretty  soon  got  my  cheese ;  and  they  never  made  a  mis- 
take about  it  afterwards." 

The  weather  cleared  up  the  next  day,  but  the  Turks  never  came 
out  again  from  their  nestling  place,  nor  were  the  women  unpacked. 
The  priest  still  kept  to  his  book,  and  to  all  remarks  about  our  prob- 
able detention,  replied,  "  Mais,  c^est  impossible^  "  Oui^^ 
returned  M.  Abro,  who,  being  a  Levantine,  knew  all  about  it, 
"  c^est  impossible;  mais  cepejidant,  c'est  vrai.''''  But  the  priest 
was  still  strong  in  the  belief  of  going  on  shore,  and  looked  out  his 
three-cornered  hat,  and  clean  bands  accordingly. 

We  arrived  off  Alexandria  on  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  Octo- 
ber, and  were,  as  may  be  expected,  all  most  anxious  to  know  our 
fate.  A  surly-looking  old  gentleman,  in  a  European  dress,  came 
alongside,  and  inspected  our  papers,  which  the  captain  held  up  to 
be  looked  at,  the  other  keeping  at  a  proper  distance.  These  did 
not  seem  satisfactory,  so  he  received  them  in  a  tin  box,  and  went 
back  to  the  health  office.     In  a  short  time  he  returned,  and  told  us 


164  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

that  we  could  not  have  pratique,  but  must  prepare  for  the  Beyrout 
quarantine.  In  vain  the  passengers  expostulated  in  a  Babel  of 
unknown  tongues ;  he  only  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  said  he 
would  go  to  the  board  once  more ;  at  the  same  time  he  ordered  the 
abominable  yellow  flag  to  go  up  again.  As  he  departed,  the  thin 
priest  smiled  grimly,  and  said  that  it  all  meant  nothing  —  that  he 
was  sure  we  should  land  that  afternoon. 

All  that  day  we  lay  in  the  harbor,  under  a  broiling  Egyptian  sun, 
with  nothing  to  do  but  grumble,  hope,  despair,  and  watch  the 
countless  many-sailed  wind-raills  along  the  low  coast,  which  almost 
twirled  me  into  a  frenzy.  At  night,  we  were  told  to  get  ready 
early  the  next  day,  for  that  the  barge  would  come  to  convey  us  to 
the  lazaretto.  We  had  been  condemned  by  the  board  to  the 
entire  Beyrout  quarantine  !  The  thin  priest  would  not  believe  it. 
He  said  to-morrow  morning  we  should  land,  and  returned  to  the 
intent  perusal  of  his  grubby  book. 

At  daybreak,  on  the  following  morning,  a  wretchedly  old  and 
dirty  lighter  came  alongside,  into  which  we  were  all  shot  like  so 
much  pestilential  rubbisli ;  and  two  or  three  boats'  crews  of  Arabs 
taking  us  in  tow,  with  a  melancholy  monotonous  chant,  suited  to  the 
occasion,  we  made  a  dismal  journey  of  two  hours,  to  the  distant 
lazaretto.  All  my  p]gyptian  cnthusia-sm  vanished  as  we  came  near 
its  gaunt  prison  walls.  The  realization  —  more,  far  more,  than  at 
Constantinople  —  of  all  my  early  dreams  of  the  "Arabian 
Nights";  the  mystic  Nile;  the  giant  remains  of  Luxor  and 
Camac  were  close  at  hand,  so  to  speak ;  Pompey's  Pillar,  Cleo- 
patra's Needle,  and  the  Hpliynx,  herself,  wore  almost  witliin  hail ; 
but  I  would  at  that  moment  have  given  them  all  up  to  have  found 
myself  even  in  a  prison  in  England. 

We  were  received,  on  a  rude  jetty,  by  some  hideous  Arabs,  who 
kept  us  away  at  a  respectalile  lengfli  by  long  rods ;  and  by  them 
we  were  conducted  to  our  prison.  Passing  several  grated  passages, 
at  the  extreme  end  of  one  of  wliich  we  saw  some  green  acacias, 
waving  in  cruel  mockery,  we  were  introduced  to  a  court-yard,  sur- 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  165 

rounded  by  cell  windows,  grated  with  massive  iron  bars.  We 
were  all  thrust  in  together,  —  Christians,  Jews,  and  Moslems,  — 
and  told  that  we  might  choose  our  cells.  These  were  stone  rooms, 
about  ten  feet  square,  perfectly  bare  and  empty.  The  thin  priest, 
for  some  reason,  got  a  room  to  himself;  but  when  I  pictured  his 
thin,  spare,  angular  form  lying  upon  the  hard  ground,  I  shuddered. 
About  myself  I  was  less  anxious  on  this  point,  for  the  decks  of  the 
steamers  had  inured  me  to  sleeping  upon  boards ;  and  I  had  a  thick 
capote  of  caracl's  hair,  which  I  had  fortunately  bought  at  Constan- 
tinople. But  still  the  place  was  so  wretched  and  desolate,  that 
when  I  sat  down  on  my  knapsack  and  looked  about  me,  I  felt 
sadder  and  more  completely  beaten  down  than  ever  I  recollect  hav- 
ing done.  There  was  nothing  to  be  met  with  everywhere  but 
lime  —  hot,  glaring,  half-slaked  lime,  which  in  itself,  dazzling  in  the 
sun,  was  enough  to  give  ophthalmia.  We  could  see  nothing  from 
our  window  but  a  large  hot  grating,  like  the  front  of  an  immense 
wild  beast  cage,  and  beyond  this  another,  with  the  top  of  a  hot  lofty 
white  wall  for  the  horizon.  A  huge  desiccated,  one-eyed  Arab, 
shot  some  hot  tainted  water  from  a  goat-skin  into  a  hot  tub,  for  our 
supply ;  and  there  were,  beside,  two  hot  tanks  to  be  used  for  gen- 
eral washing.  Finally,  the  very  ground  was  some  composition  of 
hot  lime  ;  the  hot  smoke  of  the  sanitary  (?)  fumigations  —  some- 
thing between  brimstone  and  bad  pastiles  —  almost  choked  us ;  and 
there  was  no  shade  anywhere. 

At  noon,  we  were  allowed  to  write  into  the  town  for  what  we 
might  require ;  and  we  also  sent  various  letters  to  our  respective 
consuls,  to  the  board  of  health,  and  to  the  agent  of  the  Austrian 
Lloyd's  Company.  These  were  taken  from  us  with  long  imple- 
ments, something  between  scissors  and  steak-tongs,  and  then  cut 
through  and  fumigated  as  though  we  had  been  travellers  for  the 
diffusion  of  plague  and  cholera,  but  there  was  such  a  delay  in 
sending  them  into  the  town,  that  we  were  thrown  upon  the  liber- 
ality of  one  of  our  fellow-passengers,  — the  Count  Stefano,  — who 
bad  friends  in  Alexandria,  for  a  meal  that  night.  Our  supper  con- 
14 


166  A  MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

sisted  only  of  dates,  bread,  and  questionable  water.  As  the  lost 
traveller,  dying  of  thirst  in  the  desert,  has  only  visions  of  enormous 
»  lakes  of  watef,  so  I  could  think  of  nothing  but  Cyder-cup  and 
Badminton,  and  Wenham  Ice.  The  thin  priest  got  on  better. 
Towards  afternoon,  a  sister  from  some  convent  —  a  beautiful  crea- 
ture of  nineteen,  who  ought  to  have  known  better  —  presented  her 
beaming  self  at  the  grating  of  the  conversation  passage,  and  told 
him  that  a  supper  and  bed  would  be  sent  to  him  in  half  an  hour. 
Bless  her  sweet  face !  it  came  so  like  an  anojel's  amongst  the 
demoniac  groups  on  every  side  of  us,  that,  for  the  short  time  she 
was  there,  at  least,  all  our  misery  was  forgotten.  As  she  went 
away,  the  priest  told  her  that  he  was  sure  we  should  be  at  liberty 
the  next  morning.  Her  white  teeth  flashed  in  a  parting  smile,  and 
then  she  left  us,  once  more,  to  our  despair. 

At  six,  we  were  all  locked  up  for  the  night,  and  we  selected 
places  to  lie  down  upon,  on  the  lime  floor.  But  sleep  was  out  of 
the  question,  and  the  Arabs  kept  up  such  a  harsh  and  constant 
screaming,  that  we  could  do  nothing  but  lie  awake,  turn  from  one 
side  to  the  other,  in  the  hope  of  finding  an  easy  position,  and  think 
of  horrible  things.  The  fleas  and  mosquitoes  continued  in  full 
activity  throughout  the  night ;  and,  with  the  first  blush  of  morning, 
the  flies,  who  still  remain  one  of  the  plagues  of  Egypt,  came  in 
swarms,  and  flew  at  once  to  settle  in  our  eyes,  according  to  their 
custom,  bearing  with  them  from  the  natives  who  thus  cherish  them, 
and  are  actually  taught  to  do  so  from  infancy,  the  virus  of  oph- 
thalmia. 

The  next  day  we  contrived  to  hire  some  mattresses  to  put  on  the 
floor; 'and  these,  with  a  light  crate,  or  coop,  made  of  palm-sticks, 
for  a  table,  completed  our  furniture.  We  also  got  some  dinner 
ordered,  but  as  it  had  to  come  some  distance,  everything  was  quite 
cold  when  it  arrived.  This,  however,  was  of  little  consequence. 
We  made  our  toilets  at  a  general  stone  tank  in  the  yard,  and  then 
came  back  to  grumble,  until  it  was  time  to  be  locked  up  in  our 
cells ;  for,  as  I  have  said,  there  was  no  shade,  all  day  long,  in  tlie 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  167 

yard,  and  the  very  air  appeared  to  be  chiefly  composed  of  hot  lime- 
dust. 

To  add  to  our  annoyance ^Iso,  we  lost  the  transit  steamer  to 
Cairo,  and  I  was  afterwards  compelled  to  hire  a  private  boat  or 
Kanjia  for  the  voyage,  which  occupied  six  days,  from  want  of  wind 
and  the  strength  of  the  Nile  stream  at  the  period  of  inundation. 
The  boat,  moreover,  swarmed  with  rats  as  big  as  kittens ;  spiders 
that  led  one  at  once  to  place  credence  to  the  full  in  the  bird-catch- 
ing powers  of  some  of  their  race,  and  darted  in  and  out  of  gaps  in 
the  wood,  whenever  the  shutters  were  let  up  or  down ;  cock- 
roaches, fleas,  and  their  more  important  associates,  with  millions  of 
mosquitoes,  to  whose  stings  clothes  offered  no  protection.  I  began 
to  think  that  the  American  traveller,  who  covered  his  head  with  his 
hunting  kettle,  and  clinched  the  stings  of  these  horrible  insects 
with  his  hammer,  as  they  came  through  the  copper,  was  unjustly 
laughed  at  for  his  narrative.  Add  to  these  the  continuous  croak- 
ings  of  millions  of  frogs,  the  howling  of  the  dogs  in  the  villages, 
and  the  jackals  in  desert  places,  with  the  squabbles  of  the  drago- 
man with  the  eight  all  but  naked  Arabs  who  formed  my  crew ; 
and  then,  with  a  tolerably  clear  conception,  the  reader  will  n?t  ^e 
able  to  form  the  slightest  notion  of  what  I  endured.  I  am  ^i  <cn 
to  understand,  however,  that  all  these  accompaniments  are  consid- 
ered as  so  many  interesting  novelties  by  travellers  on  the  Nile,  and 
that  therefore  I  should  have  been  gratified  by  them,  or,  at  least, 
have  written  with  more  or  less  enthusiasm  to  that  effect. 

But  I  am  getting  a-head  of  my  subject ;  —  to  return  to  the  laza- 
retto. The  second  day  was,  if  anything,  more  dreary  than  the 
first.  The  confinement  made  me  so  nervous,  that  I  could  not  settle 
to  anything.  I  tried  to  write  an  article  for  a  magazine,  with  a  hat- 
box  for  a  desk,  but  this  proved  an  utter  failure.  Then  I  attempted 
to  read,  but  I  could  not  fix  my  mind  upon  the  book ;  and  yet  it 
was  one  of  Sir  Francis  Head's.  I  have  said  it  was  too  hot  to  go 
out,  or  I  could  have  walked  up  and  down  behind  my  bars,  like  a  wild 
beast  in  a  show,  and  so,  perhaps,  worn  out  a  little  of  my  irritability. 


168  A    MONTH    AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

In  fact,  I  could  only  be  miserable.  And  yet,  under  other  circum- 
stances —  as  a  visitor  for  an  hour  or  two  —  there  was  much  to 
amuse.  It  would  have  been  comical  to  have  seen  the  Count,  when 
he  expected  a  visit  from  his  pretty  cotisins,  who  lived  in  Alexahdria, 
and  for  one  of  whom,  I  found  out,  he  had  a  great  affection  —  to 
have  seen  this  real  earnest  Count  washing  out  his  small  finery  at 
the  tank,  —  his  collar,  ruffles,  and  pocket-handkerchief,  —  to 
appear  smart  when  the  dark-eyed  Ionian  girls  came.  There  was  a 
funny  Turk,  too  —  the  only  comic  Moslem  I  ever  met — who  did 
curious  things  with  a  bottle,  after  the  manner  of  M.  Auriol,  and 
was  cunning  in  passing  piastres  through  hats,  and  making  articles 
appear  where  they  were  not  supposed  to  be,  —  all  of  which  greatly 
scandalized  the  high-turbaned  Hadjis  bound  for  Mecca.  And  the 
thin  priest  himself,  who  still  was  convinced  of  the  impossibility  of 
our  being  put  in  quarantine,  was  amusing  in  his  way.  But  I  only 
enjoyed  these  bits  of  character  in  the  retrospect,  when  I  got  out. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  our  detention,  came  a  glimmer  of  hope 
and  release.  The  doctor  arrived  to  see  us.  We  were  ranged  all 
of  a  row,  and  he  walked  backwards  and  forwards,  smoking  a  cigar, 
and  looking  at  us,  as  I  have  seen  convicts  inspected  in  the  Houses 
of  Correction  at  home.  We  then  heard  that,  after  all  this  wretched 
discomfort,  the  board  had  argued  our  case ;  and  that,  taking  our 
voyage  into  consideration,  we  should  be  allowed  pratique  next  day. 
Our  various  applications  had,  I  expect,  but  little  to  do  with  this. 
M.  Abro  told  us  that  he  believed  a  protest  of  our  Turki.sh  com- 
panions against  the  imprisonment,  showing  that  they  would  be  too 
late  for  the  grand  ceremonies  at  Mecca,  if  detained  longer,  had 
been  the  chief  instrument  of  our  liberation.  However,  we  were 
to  be  liberated  on  the  morrow  —  tliat  was  a  fact ;  and  such  a 
pleasant  one  that  we  did  not  care  to  investigate  it  further. 

What  a  difference  the  intimation  made  to  all  our  spirits  !  The 
lazaretto  had  not  been  so  misorable,  after  all  —  at  all  events,  there 
was  great  novelty  in  it  I  It  was  something  to  sit  on  the  ground  at 
dinner,  with  a  coop  for  a  table ;  and  a  great  deal  more,  to  sleep  on 


0 

A   MONTH  AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  169 

it.  Below  us  was  a  German  family  —  very  poor  people,  indeed, 
with  an  intelligent  little  girl  of  twelve  —  one  of  the  most  thought- 
ful and  well-conducted  children  T  ever  met.  The  evening  before, 
when  we  had  been  playing  off  some  tricks  in  the  yard,  she  had. 
been  our  best  audience ;  and  this  afternoon  she  came  up  anxiously, 
and  asked  me  "  if  we  were  going  to  have  a  theatre  again  ?  "  I 
promised  we  would,  to  oblige  her ;  and  as  we  had  an  hour,  before 
being  locked  up,  I  got  all  our  fellow-prisoners  together,  and  each 
one  did  his  best  to  form  an  entertainment ;  except  the  old  gentle- 
men in  the  high  turbans,  who  smoked  their  pipes  and  admired  in 
silence,  and  the  women,  who  peeped  through  the  gratings,  from 
behind  which  they  had  never  ventured  since  we  were  first  locked  in. 

The  jolly  Turk  came  out  uncommonly.  He  sang  native  songs, 
pitched  pies,  conjured  anew,  and  behaved  altogether  in  a  frightfully 
indecorous  manner  for  a  pilgrim  bound  to  Mecca.  The  gi-eat  hit 
of  the  evening,  however,  was  a  game  of  leap-frog,  which  four  of  us 
got  up,  to  the  intense  delight  of  the  others,  who  did  not  appear  t6 
have  the  slightest  notion  of  it.  The  German  people  sang  some 
concerted  music  very  nicely,  and  altogether  the  entertainment  was 
pronounced  a  success.  After  we  were  shut  up,  we  had  our  last 
meal  together,  from  the  scraps  —  cold  maccaroni  soup,  remains  of 
fowls,  and  dates  —  and  then  went  very  contentedly  to  bed. 

At  daylight  next  morning,  be  sure  we  were  all  alive.  About 
half-past  five  the  director  of  the  lazaretto  came  to  see  us.  He  was 
an  old  man,  with  spectacles  and  a  long  beard ;  and  looked  very 
much  like  the  wizards  in  dream-books  and  prophetic  almanacs. 
He  shook  hands  with  all  of  us,  which  was  a  sort  of  little  ceremony 
to  show  that  our  touch  was  no  longer  infectious,  and  then  told  us 
we  were  free.  Soon  after  came  the  valet  I  had  ensiajred  from 
Key's  hotel,  to  conduct  us  up  to  that  part  of  the  town ;  and  then 
the  custom-house  people  arrived  to  look  at  our  baggage.  The 
search  was  merely  nominal  —  my  knapsack  was  handed  over  to  me, 
and  passing  other  passages  to  those  by  which  we  had  arrived,  I 
found  myself  once  more  out  of  the  lazaretto. 
14# 


170  A  MONTH   AT  CONSTANTINOPLE, 

Amongst  several  odd  stories  I  heard  at  this  time,  respecting  the 
absurd  severity  with  which  the  Beyrout  quarantine  is  enforced, 
were  the  two  following.  The  first  related  to  a  ship  in  the  harbor, 
and  the  other  to  the  lazaretto. 

When  a  ship  arrives  in  a  quarantine  port,  from  a  suspected  dis- 
trict, she  is  placed  under  the  strictest  surveillance.  Attendants 
from  the  health-office  are  put  on  board ;  everything  sent  on  shore 
has  to  undergo  purification  —  if  goods,  by  quarantine;  if  letters, 
by  fumigation  —  in  fact,  everything  is  considered  contagious  except 
money,  which  is  simply  received  in  a  vessel  of  water  at  the  end  of 
a  pole  by  the  people  in  the  boats.  On  the  other  hand,  everything 
from  the  shore,  touched  by  anything  or  anybody  on  the  ship,  is  at 
once  contaminated,  and  subject  to  the  same  quarantine.  At  Malta, 
this  circumstance  leads  to  many  rows  with  the  homeward-bound 
passengers.  Valetta  is  famous  for  the  manufacture  of  fine  mittens 
and  black  lace ;  and  when  the  overland  steamers  arrive,  the  quar- 
antine harbor  is  filled  with  the  boats  of  the  dealers.  The  articles 
rare  handed  up  in  boxes  at  the  ends  of  poles  for  inspection.  The 
unthinking  passengers  turn  them  over  to  look  at,  and  are  immedi- 
ately compelled  to  take  the  whole,  because  their  touch  has  infected 
them.  At  Beyrout,  speculators  occasionally  put  off  with  Syrian 
curiosities  —  chaplets  of  olive-stones,  from  the  Mount  of  Olives; 
cedar  cones  from  Lebanon,  and  the  like.  On  the  occasion  to  which 
I  now  allude,  a  sharp  touter  had  got  ahead  of  his  companions,  and 
was  beginning  to  treat  with  some  passengers  ;  selling  the  aforesaid 
woniers,  and  recommending  dragomen.  The  engineer  had,  as  is 
common,  a  little  bird  in  his  cabin,  that  was  very  tame,  and  used  to 
be  permitted  to  fly  about  the  deck  and  rigging.  It  was  loose  on 
the  morning  of  the  arrival,  and  when  the  touter  came  alongside, 
innocently  perched  on  his  shoulder.  In  an  instant  the  quick-eyed 
guardians  observed  it.  The  poor  touter  was  declared  compromised 
liy  the  contact.  lie  was  hurried  off  to  the  lazaretto,  in  spite  of 
his  protestations  and  arguments,  for  ten  days ;  and  the  engineer,  aa 


A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE.  171 

owner  of  the  bird,  was  compelled  to  ^ay  all  the  expenses  of  his 
incarceration. 

The  other  case  was  more  annoying  still.  In  every  lazaretto  is  a 
place  called  the  parlatorio,  at  which  the  inmates  may  communicate 
with  their  friends.  It  is  very  like  the  grating  used  for  the  same 
purpose  at  our  prisons.  There  is  a  double  wall  of  bars,  with  a 
space  of  six  or  seven  feet  between  them ;  and  articles  are  pushed 
backwards  and  forwards  on  boards,  which  run  across,  in  boxes 
fixed  to  poles.  A  person  in  quarantine  received  a  visit  from 
a  friend  on  the  first  day  of  his  confinement.  Laden  with  treasures 
of  travel,  he  was  exhibiting  some  beautiful  feathers  to  his  friend, 
when  a  sudden  pufF  of  wind  dispersed  the  collection,  and  by  an 
evil  chance  blew  oi^e,  between  the  bars,  into  the  bosom  of  his  inno- 
cent visitor.  The  unfortunate  wight  was  directly  condemned.  All 
egress  was  denied  him ;  he  was  told  that,  of  all  things,  feathers 
were  peculiarly  susceptible  of  plague  ;  and  he  had  to  join  his  friend 
for  the  whole  term  of  his  imprisonment.  In  fine,  the  laws  of  quar- 
antine appear  to  be  the  most  rigid  of  any  existing,  and  cannot,  by 
any  influence  or  interest,  be  evaded.  This  is  not  so  much  to  be 
wondered  at  when  the  various  incomes  derived  from  enforcing  them 
are  taken  into  consideration ;  and,  indeed,  this  appears  to  be,  at 
present,  the  sole  cause  of  their  continuance. 

There  was  a  large  quantity  of  beasts  of  burden  awaiting  the 
turn-out,  —  camels,  horses,  and  donkeys.  The  boys  who  attended 
the  latter  were  sad  young  scamps  —  little  dusky  chaps,  with 
nothing  on  but  what  seemed  to  be  a  long  blue  bedgown.  When  a 
stranger  appeared,  they  caught  their  donkeys  by  the  head,  and 
backed  them  all  in  a  heap  against  him.  In  vain  the  valet  beat 
them  furiously  about  the  head,  face,  and  naked  legs.  They  only 
fell  back  for  an  instant,  and  then  all  returned  to  the  charge  again, 
shouting,  "  I  say,  master  —  good  jackass  !  "  Somehow  or  another, 
I  was  hustled  on  to  one  of  the  donkeys  —  I  am  sure  I  don't  know 
how ;  I  never  chose  one  —  and  then  we  set  oiF  at  a  quick,  easy 
amble  towards  Alexandria. 


172  A   MONTH   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE. 

The  road  was  regularly  made  —  broad,  and  very  level,  and  bor- 
dered with  acacia  trees ;  and  over  garden  walls  I  saw,  for  the  first 
time,  the  graceful  date-palms  and  banana  trees.  All  along  the 
road  were  strings  of  baggage-camels  —  many  more  together  than  I 
had  seen  either  at  Smyrna  or  Constantinople  —  with  a  great  num- 
ber of  women,  scantily  clad,  and  all  carrying  water-jars  on  their 
heads,  which  they  balanced  wonderfully.  Then  we  passed  Cleo- 
patra's Needle ;  and  then  I  insisted  upon  seeing  Pompey's  Pillar 
before  we  went  to  the  hotel,  and  a  circuit  was  made  accordingly. 
It  was  a  very  familiar  object ;  one  there  could  be  no  mistake  about 
upon  approaching.  I  tried  to  feel  as  other  writers  have  felt  —  when, 
as  they  have  affirmed,  the  names  of  Herodotus,  Ptolemy,  and  other 
ancients,  rose  up  before  them,  as  they  gazed  at  the  pillar  —  but  I 
could  not ;  for  the  only  names  that  Pompey's  Pillar  most  readily 
suggests,  are  those  painted  on  it,  in  enormous  letters,  a  foot  high, 
visible  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off;  and  as  these  are,  respectively, 
G.  Button,  and  W.  Thompson,  of  Sunderland,  no  remarkable 
enthusiasm  is  created. 

I  was  glad  to  find  myself,  at  last,  in  the  comfortable  transit  hotel 
at  Alexandria ;  and  looking  out  from  my  lofty  bedroom  into  its 
broad  bright  square.  Everything  was  sunny  and  cheering ;  new 
impressions,  more  striking  even  than  those  I  had  already  received, 
were  in  store  for  me ;  and  the  next  evening  would  find  me,  with  a 
boat  and  crew  of  my  own,  journeying  on  towards  the  mighty  Nile, 
with  all  the  land  of  the  solemn  and  mystic  Egypt  before  me. 


APPENDIX. 


With  the  wish  to  make  this  volume  something  more  than  a 
mere  recollection  of  travel,  I  have  ventured  to  add  an  Appendix 
of  such  information  aa  may  be  useful  to  any  traveller  about  to 
make  the  same  journey.  Whilst  on  my  way  to  the  East,  I  remem- 
ber the  eagerness  with  which  I  questioned  certain  returned  trav- 
ellers respecting  various  points  connected  with  living  and  expenses 
at  Constantinople,  about  which  I  could  get  at  no  accurate  informa- 
tion in  the  guide-books.  I  have  now  thrown  together  my  notes  on 
these  subjects,  and  I  hope  they  will  be  found  as  useful  to  others  as 
I  should  have  found  them  myself  this  time  last  year. 

I.    The  JouRNfiY. 

1.  The  direct  line  to  Constantmople  by  the  English  boats, 
starting  from  Southampton,  is  that  usually  patronized  by  travellers 
with  much  luggage,  and  in  such  cases  is  decidedly  the  preferable 
one.  As  full  information  connected  with  the  departure  of  these 
fine  vessels  may  be  obtained  at  the  London  offices,  it  is  unnecessary 
to  repeat  it  here,  beyond  stating  that  the  fares  are,  for  the  first 
class,  £41,  and  for  the  second,  £27  10s.  Passengers'  servants 
are  charged  £22. 

2.  The  excellent  service  of  the  French  Paquehots-Postes  de  la 
Mediterranee,  which  start  from  Marseilles,  is  less  generally  known. 
This  is  by  far  the  best  method  for  the  mere  tourist  unencumbered 
with  luggage ;  and  it  is  also  the  most  agreeable,  and  cheapest. 

There  are  two  lines  from  Marseilles  to  Malta.     One  of  these  ia 


174  APPENDIX. 

a  direct  one ;  the  other  touches  at  Genoa,  Leghorn,  Civita-Vecchia, 
Naples,  and  Messina ;  and  both  are  so  arranged  as  to  correspond, 
at  Malta,  with  the  boat  proceeding,  without  loss  of  time,  to  Con- 
stantinople. The  departures  take  place  three  times  a  month,  and 
are  very  regular.  The  direct  boat  to  Malta  starts  on  the  1st, 
11th,  and  21st;  that  touching  at  Italy,  on  the  9th,  19th,  and 
29th;  and  all  these  arrive  respectively  in  time  for  one  or  the 
other  of  the  boats  which  leave  Malta  in  turn,  on  the  5th,  15th, 
and  25th,  and  arrive  at  Constantinople  on  the  day  week  of  their 
departure  from  that  port. 

The  fares  are  —  presuming  the  direct  line  be  chosen  —  from 
Marseilles  to  Constantinople :  first  class,  465  francs ;  second,  279 
francs;  third,  186  francs;  fourth,  116  francs;  or,  in  rough  sums, 
respectively  about  18^.  125. ;  11/. ;  11.  10s. ;  Al.  12s.  The  living 
is  not  included  in  this,  but  the  tariff  is  fixed  at  six  francs  a  day  for 
first-class  passengers,  and  four  francs  for  the  second.  This  must 
be  paid  whether  the  passengers  partake  of  the  meals  or  do  not. 
If  there  are  servants  on  board,  they  have  their  meals  in  the  second 
cabin,  after  the  passengers,  but  are  not  allowed  to  join  them  at  any 
time.  The  third  and  fourth  class  passengers  can  lay  in  their  own 
stock,  but  may  get  anything  from  the  restaurateur  on  board  by 
paying  for  it.  I  add  the  bill  of  fare  of  one  day's  dinner,  in  the 
fore-cabin,  taken  at  random  :  — 

Scamandre.     20  Aoitt. 

Potage  puree  aux  pommes. 

Boeuf  garni. 

Langue  u  la  sauce  poivrade. 

Volailles  a  la  financiere. 

Haricots  au  blanc. 

Gigot  roti. 

Salade. 

Desserte. 

Vin. 


APPENDIX. 


175 


The  mere  expenses  of  conveyance  from  London  to  IMarseilles, 
via  Folkestone,  Boulogne,  Paris,  Lyons,  and  Avignon,  by 
steamer,  railway  and  diligence,  are  130  francs.  This  is  for  the 
banquette  of  the  diligence  and  second  class  of  the  railways,  but  the 
arrangements  are  so  good  that  it  is  a  mere  throwing  away  of  money 
for  a  tourist  to  go  in  the  more  expensive  places.  The  route  from 
Paris,  at  present,  is  by  rail  to  Tonnare,  and  thence  by  diligence  to 
Dijon ;  from  Dijon  to  Chalons  by  rail ;  from  Chalons  to  Lyons  by 
steamer,  on  the  Saone ;  from  Lyons  to  Avignon  by  diligence,  and 
from  Avignon  to  Marseilles  by  the  rail.  The  journey  occupies  three 
days  and  three  nights ;  of  these,  two  nights  only  are  passed  on 
the  road.  When  the  line  of  railway  is  completed  from  Paris  to 
Avignon,  of  course  the  time  will  be  considerably  abridged.  Th« 
route  is  most  interesting,  and  has  the  incalculable  advantage  of 
avoiding  all  the  rolling  misery  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay. 

The  expense,  then,  of  the  actual  travelling,  will  be :  — 


First  class. 


London  to  Paris,         63/r. 

Paris  to  Marseilles, 130  . 

Marseilles  to  Constantinople,     .     .     .  465  . 

658  . 

Hotel  expenses, 50  . 

Steamboat  living,  (12  days,)     ...     72  . 
Total  from  London  to  Constantinople,     780  . 

Or,  first  class,  about  £31 ;  second  ditto,  about  £20. 


Second  clasf 

46/r 

84 
279 


409 
50 

48 


507 


Tliis  is  the  lowest  estimate  of  these  classes, -and  includes  only 
absolute  and  indispensable  expenses.  Those  wishing  to  "rough" 
it,  may  effect  a  still  greater  saving,  by  taking  a  deck  passage  along 
the  jNIediterranean ;  but  they  must  be  tolerably  sure  of  fine  and 
warm  weather. 

3.  The  other  routes  are,  by  railway  to  Vienna  —  and  there  is 
now  an  uninterrupted  line  from  Ostend  to  that  city,  by  Cologne, 


176  APPENDIX. 

Hanover,  and  Dresden,  and  thence  by  the  Danube  to  the  Black 
Sea ;  and  so  down  the  Bosphorus ;  or,  to  Trieste,  by  railway,  and 
thence  by  the  steamers  of  the  Austrian  Lloyd's  Company.  Each 
of  these  routes  is,  however,  too  complicated  and  circuitous  to  give 
an  estimate  of  in  this  place. 

I  may  mention,  however,  that  the  Austrian  Lloyd's  boat  leaves 
Trieste  for  Constantinople  once  a  week  —  starting,  at  present, 
every  Thursday,  and  arriving  at  Constantinople  on  the  Sunday 
week  following.  They  have,  at  present,  twenty-six  boats  in  their 
fleet,  and  five  new  ones  are  being  built.  The  arrangements  are, 
in  general,  very  good,  and  the  fares  and  regulations  about  the 
same  as  those  on  board  the  French  packets.  Their  largest  vessel 
is  the  Austria,  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  horse  power ;  and  the 
smallest,  the  Francesco  Carlo,  of  forty. 

4.  Having  given  the  usual  routes  to  Constantinople,  I  may 
now,  perhaps,  interest  some  of  my  readers  in  detailing  the  time 
which  I  myself  took ;  and  I  will  also  add  —  I  believe  on  a  novel 
plan  —  the  expenses  and  the  distances  of  each  day. 

I  must  premise  I  started  with  a  companion,  and  we  each  had  a 
knapsack  to  carry  our  things.  This  latter  article  was  made  for  me 
by  Mr.  Brown,  saddler,  of  Chertsey,  and  cost  £1.  It  was  four 
inches  deep,  thirteen  broad,  and  twelve  long.  A  round  tin  case 
at  the  top  was  added  afterwards.  It  was  in  three  portions,  for 
better  dividing  the  articles  it  contained,  and  one  of  these  could 
turn,  upon  emergency,  into  a  sort  of  saucepan,  to  go  over  a  spirit 
lamp  which  went  inside  it.  It  was  at  times  useful  for  furnishing 
hot  water,  when  there  would  otherwise  have  been  a  dilBculty  in 
procuring  it. 

I  contrived  to  put  the  following  articles  into  my  knapsack.  It 
was  tolerably  heavy  when  charged,  but  I  am  blessed  witli  broad 
shoulders  and  a  good  constitution,  and  I  never  felt  distressed  :  — 

A  coat,  waistcoat,  and  trowsers,  of  thin  black  tweed,  which  were 
very  light,  and,  when  folded  up,  could  have  been  put  in  a  hat. 
These  were  for  such  occasions  as  might  occur  when  something  like 


APPENDIX.  177 

evening  dress  was  necessary.     They  were  made  for  me  by  Mr 
Astley,  of  the  Quadrant,  at  a  small  expense. 

A  pair  of  light  French  hrodequins. 

Five  shirts :  four  colored  and  one  white  —  also  for  great  occa- 
sions. 

Four  pocket  handkerchiefs. 

Two  black  silk  neck-ties. 

Four  pairs  of  lamb's-wool  socks. 

Comb  and  brush;  with  some  oil-silk  bags  for  holding  soap, 
sponge,  nail  and  tooth  brush. 

A  "  house-wife,"  containing  pins,  needles  and  thread,  scissors 
and  buttons. 

(These  latter  articles  went  in  the  pocket  at  the  side  of  the  knap- 
sack, for  ready  use.) 

In  the  tin  case  at  the  top  I  had  a  strange  collection  of  things. 
They  comprised  a  few  Seidlitz  powders,  some  laudanum,  and  a  box 
of  Brokedon's  compressed  soda.  I  also  tucked  in  some  sticking- 
plaster,  a  dozen  steel  pens,  a  portable  ink-stand,  with  writing 
paper,  a  box  of  water-colors,  note-books,  string,  lucifers,  and  other 
minor  comforts.  When  all  these  things  were  packed,  there  was 
still  room  for  what  few  souvenirs  I  might  collect  on,  the  way. 

My  travelling-dress  was  a  blue  blouse  with  useful  pockets,  and  a 
broad-brimmed  felt  hat.  I  started  in  a  cap,  but  the  sun  so  caught 
my  face  on  the  Moselle,  that  I  bought  the  hat  at  Metz.  I  had  a 
stout  pair  of  shoes  —  not  too  thick,  which  is  a  great  mistake ;  and  a 
kind  of  pouch  to  hang  at  my  side,  and  hold  a  hand-book  or  map, 
block  drawing-book,  knife,  &c.  I  took  the  £20  circular  notes  of 
Herries  and  Farquhar,  which,  by  the  way,  would  be  more  conven- 
ient if  made,  like  some  of  the  other  banks,  for  £10. 

The  great  advantage  of  a  knapsack — :and  I  speak  from  the 
experience  of  several  tours  made  with  one  —  is,  that  you  are  w 
completely  your  own  master.  You  are  dependent  upon  no  porters, 
mules,  or  conveyances ;  you  come  and  go  as  you  please,  and  you 
have  always  got  all  you  have  about  you.  Your  expenses  are  also 
15 


APPENDIX. 


considerably  diminished.  The  above  list  may  he  altered,  according 
to  the  views  of  the  tourist,  but  I  do  not  think  he  will  be  able  to 
improve  it,  so  as  to  increase  his  comfort. 

The  expenses  of  the  following  route  have  been  ke])t  in  French 
francs,  as  being  the  readiest  way  of  computing  them,  in  con.se- 
quence  of  the  constant  change  of  the  money.  They  pass  well  all 
over  Switzerland,  and  a  great  portion  of  Italy  ;  but  the  old  Spanish 
pillar-dollar  will  be  found  the  most  advantageous  coin  about  tho 
Levant. 

I  have  commenced  calculating  the  expenses  at  Ostend,  as  tho 
methods  of  getting  there  may  be  very  much  varied  according  to  the 
time  and  exigencies  of  the  traveller. 

TABLE. 
Time  and  Expenses  of  the  Journey  from  London  to  Constanti- 
nople, by  Switzerland,  Italy,  Malta,  Athens,  and  Smyrna. 

lo49.  Francs.  Centime*. 

June  9.  Rail  from  Ostend  to  Antwerp,  third  class,    .       4     50* 
Hard  eggs,  bread,  &;c.,  bought  on  the  line,  50 
— 10.  Bill  at  Antwerp :  dinner,  bed,  and  break- 
fast.—  Hotel  du  Pare 10 

Hail  to  Cologne,  also  third  class,  ....     10     50 

llcfroshment  at  Liege 1     00 

Omnibus  into  Cologne, 50 

—  11.  Bill  at  Cologne.  —  Badlscher  Jlof     Very 

cheap, 4     50 

Steam  fare  to  jNIaycnce,  fore-part  of  boat. 
Part  of  this  was  lost,  since,  owing  to  the 
troubles  on  the  llhine,  we  were  obliged  to 
stop  at  Coblentz.     I  have,  however,  put 

down  all  casualties 7     50 

Carried  forward,     39     00 

•  The  French  franc  is  18|  cents,  American  cifireucy.  One  hundred 
oenUmes  make  one  franc. 


APPENDIX.  179 

Francs.  Centimes. 

Brought  forward,  39     00 

June  11.  Lunch  on  board, 1 

—  12.  Bill  at  Coblentz. —  Gasthof  zum  Rheinberg. 

Dinner  and  bed, 6     25 

Fare  to  Treves,  by  the  Moselle ;  fore  cabin,  7     50 

Dinner  on  board, 3     50 

— 13.  Bill  at  Berneastel,  on  the  Moselle.     Drei 

KCnigen.     Supper  and  bed,     ....  4 

Breakfast  on  steamer, 2 

Dinner  at  Treves,  (table-d'hote,)       ...  2     50 
Diligence  fare  from  Treves  to  Luxembourg, 

(banquette,) 11 

—  14.  Bill  at  Luxembourg.  —  Hotel  de  Cologne,  .  4     50 

Fare  to  Metz  by  diligence,  (banquette,)       .  6 

Refreshment  on  the  road, 1     50 

— 15.  Bill  at  Metz. — Hotel  (VEurope.     Dinner 

at  table-d'hote,  bed,  and  breakfast,     .     .  7     50 

Diligence  fare  to  Strasburg, 15 

Dinner  on  road, 3 

—  16.  Cab  from  diligence  to  inn, 1 

Bill  at  Strasburg.  —  Hotel  de  la  Ville  de 
Ifetz.     Only  breakfast,  and  room  to  wash, 

after  all  niglit  in  the  diligence, ....  3 

Rail  to  Bale 11 

— 17.  Bill  at  Bale:  dinner  and  bed.      Couronne,  4 

Breakfast  at  Rheiufelden, 1     50 

Wine  at  Stein, 50 

— 18.  Bill  at  Friek.  — Les  Raisins.     Very  cheap  : 

supper  and  bed, 2 

Breakfast  at  Brugg, 2     50 

Wine  at  Botzberg, 1 

Rail  to  Zurich  from  Baden 1     50 

Carried  over,  142     25 


180  APPENDIX. 

Francs.  CentimM. 

Brought  over,     142     25 
June  19  and  20.  Bill  at  Zurich.  —  Hotel  Baur.    Firsts 

rate  house, 18 

Steamer  to  Horgen, 50 

Wine  at  Baar, 50 

Breakfast  at  Zug.      Ochs, 2     50 

—  21.  Bill  at  Art.  —  Aigle  Noir.     Dinner,   bed 

and  breakfast,       .     .     '. 9 

Lunch,  going  up  Bigi,  at  the  Vhter  JDachlt,  1     50 

More  refreshment  at  the  StafFel,     ....  1 

—  22.  Bill  at  the  Rigi  Kulm;  supper  and  bed,     .  4     50 

Breakfast  at  Weggis, 2 

Expenses  at  Lucerne,  the  day ;  and  steamer 
to  Fluelyn,  and  also  from  Weggis  to  Lu- 
cerne,     5 

—  23.  Billat  Amsteg.— (7er/(^'or,       ....       4     50 

Breakfast  at  Wasen  :    eggs,  bread,  butter, 

and  wine.     Post, 1 

Wine  at  Andermatt, 50 

—  24.  Bill  at  Ilospenthal.  —  Lion  d' or.     Dinner, 

bed,  and  breakfast, 9     50 

Lunch  at  the  Rhone  Glacier, 1 

—  25.  Bill  at  the  Grimsel  Hospice, 8 

Lunch  at  the  Handcck 2     50 

—  26.  Bill  at  Meyringcn.  —  Sanvnge,  with  bath, 

and  purchases  of  soap,  pomatum,  &c.,  at 

the  inn, 11 

Keichenbach  cascade 50 

Breakfast  at  Kosonlaui, 1      50 

Lunch  at  the  Scheidcck  chalet,     .           .     .  1 

—  27.  BillatGrindclwald.— Z'^/y/e,  .....  7 

Carried  forward,     234     75 


APPENDIX.  181 

Francs.  Centimes. 

Brought  forward,  234     75 
June  27.  Strawberries  and  milk,  and  cannon  for  echo, 

at  the  half-way  chalet,     ......  1 

Breakfast  at  the  Wengem  Alp,    ....  1     50 

Wine.     Lauterbrunnen .  1 

Share  of  trap  to  Interlaken, 2     50 

—  28.  Bill  at  Interlaken.     Dinner,  bed,  breakfast 

and  lunch.     Interlaken, 11 

Steamer  to  Thun, 1 

—  29.  BillatThun.  — J5e?Ze  Fwe;  dear,    ...  10 

Diligence  to  Berne, 3 

—  30,  and  July  1.    BUI  at  Berne. —  Couronne: 

and  sights, 21 

Diligence  to  Thun, 3 

July  2.  Bill  at  Miillinen.     Supper,  bed,  and  car  to 

Kandersteg, 8 

Breakfast  at  Kandersteg, 1     50 

Lunch.     Schwaranbach, 2 

—  3.  Bill   at   Leuk,   with   baths,   extra  meal  in 

morning,  Sec,       ...           ....  11 

—  4.  Bill  at  Sierre.  —  Soleil, 6 

Voiture  (return)  to  Martigny,      ....  6     50 

Lunch  at  Sion, 1 

—  5.  Lunch  at  Orsieres.  —  Hotel  des  Alpes,    .     .  1 

Refreshment  at  Canteen, 1 

—  6.  Gave  to  Convent  of  St.  Bernard  for  supper 

and  bed 5 

Snack  at  Canteen,  returning, 50 

Lunch  at  Orsieres, 1     10 

—  7.  Bill  at  Martigny. — Hotel  de  la  Tour,  (in- 

cluding the  4th,) 15 

Car  to  Bex, 4 

Carried  over,     353     35 
15* 


182  APPENDIX, 

Francs.  Centimes. 

Brought  over,  353     35 

July  7.  Lunch  at  Bex. — Union 1 

Omnibus  to  Villcneuve, 2 

Steamboat  fare  to  Geneva, 5 

—  8,9,10.     Bill  at  Geneva.  —  Couronne,  .     .     .  25 

Sardinian  passport, 4 

Fare  to  Chamonix, 16 

Breakfast  at  Bonneville, 2     50 

Refreshment  at  Cluses 1 

— 11.  Bill  at  Chamonix. — Union, 7 

—  12,13,14,15.     Bill  at  Chamonix.  —  Londres,    .  54 

Expenses  at  Chamonix,  (I  knew  all  the 
country  very  well,  so  dispensed  with 
guides,)   lunch  at  Flegere,  Montanvert, 

&c., 6 

Breakfast  at  the  Tcte  Noire 2     50 

—  17.  Bill  at  Martigny.  —  Towr G 

Dilitrence  to  Brieo-, 13 

Breakfast  at  Sion 2     50 

—  18.  Bill.     Bncg.  — Hotel  d'Angleterre,      .     .  4     50 

Breakfast  at  Perisal, 2 

— 19.  BiU  at  Simplon.  —  Poste 5     50 

Breakfast  at  Isella, 2     50 

—  20.  Bill  at  Domo  d'Ossola. — Ancicnne  Poste. 

Dinner,  bed,  and  breakfast 8     50 

Car  to  Baveno, 7 

Lunch  at  Vergogna 1 

—  21.  Breakfast.     Omegna,  on  the  Lago  d'Orta. 

—  Croce  di  Malta 1     50 

Wine  at  Orta, 1 

BoattoPella 50 

llefreshmcnta  at  Arola, 50 

Carried  forward,  535     35 


APPENDIX.  183 

Francs.  Centimes. 

Brought  forward,  535     35 

July  22..  Bill  at  Varallo. — Antica  Posta,      ...  7 

Refreshments.     Arola  and  Orta,  ....  2 

Car  to  Baveno, 4 

—  23.  BillatBaveno,  20thand22d,     ....  13 

Breakfast.     Stresa, 1     50 

Steamer  to  Sesto  Calendo, 2     25 

Lunch  at  Sesto, 1 

Diligence  to  Milan, 4     50 

Cafe,  &c.,  at  night, 1     25 

—  24,  25,  26,  27,  28.    Bill  at  mi&n.  — Hotel  de 

la  ville  de  Milan,  an  admirably-managed 

house, 52 

Expenses  to  Monza  and  back,  by  rail,  on 

the  26th, 6 

Diligence  to  Grenoa.     Banquette,      ...  36 

Refreshments  on  the  road, 2 

—  29,  30.  Bill  at  Genoa.  —  Croce  di  Malta,    .     .  13 

Steamer,  and  Health  Ofl&ce,  deck  passenger 

to  Leghorn,  by  French  boat,     ....  7 

Boat  to  steamer, 1     25 

Refreshment  on  board, 2     50 

—  31.  Boat  to  land  at  Leghorn, 1     50 

Aug.    1.  Bill  at  Leghorn.  —  Thompson'' s, ....  12 

Car  to  rail, 1 

Rail  to  Florence.     2d  class, 5 

Car  to  hotel, 1 

Luggage  "plumbed," 50 

—  2,  3,  4,  5.     Bill  at  Florence.  —  Hotel  du  Xord,  26 

Breakfast,  four  days,  at  Cafe  Donin,  at  10 

sous  each, 2 

Car  to  railway, 1 

Carried  over,  741     00 


184  APPENDIX. 

Francs.  Centimea. 

Brought  over,  741     60 

Aug.         Railway  to  Leghorn, 5 

Car  to  Thompson's, 1 

—  6,  7,  8,  9.    Bill  at  Leghorn 45 

Expenses  to  and  from,  and  at  Pisa,  on  the 

8th 13 

Boat  to  steamer, 1     50 

Steamer    to    Civita-Vecchia,      Deck    fare, 

French  boat, 10 

Dinner  on  board, 2 

— 10.  Boat  to  land  at  Civita, 1 

Diligence  to  Home 12 

Postilions 1 

Bill    at   Civita-Vecchia,  for  breakfast  and 

room, .     .         3     50 

Lunch  at  Monterone 1     50 

Custom-house, 1 

— 11  to  18.     Bill   at   Rome.  —  Hotel    Spillmann. 

Very  fair 80 

Passports, 4 

Share  of  carriage  to  Tivoli, 8 

Fare  to  Naples,  with  courier, 75 

Supper  at  night,  at  Velletri, 2 

—  19.  Breakfast  at  Terracina 1     50 

Passport    extortions    and    pour-boires,    on 

road, 10 

Porter   to  hotel  at  Naples,  from  diligence 

office, 1     50 

—  22.  Car  to  Hcrculancum, 1     50 

Railway  to  Pompeii,  (2d  class,)    ....  2 

Guide  at  Pompeii, 2     50 

Attendants 1 

Carried  forward,     1028     10 


APPENDIX.  185 

Francs.  Centimes. 

Brought  forward,     1028     10 

Aug.  22.  Kailway  back  (o  Portici, 2 

Guide  to  Herculaneum, 1 

Head  guide  up  Vesuvius,  for  horses,  men, 

&c.,  (share,) 30 

Intrusive  assistants, 4 

Boy  to  lead  ponies, 1     50 

Wine  to  soldiers  at  hermitage,  ....  1 
Man  who  comes  up  with  refreshment,  wine, 

fruit,  eggs,  &c 5 

— 19  to  23.     Bill  at  Naples.  — Hotel  des  Etran- 

gers.     Very  good, 55 

Police  and  passports, 5 

Steamer  to  Malta,  (deck,) 27 

Car  and  boat, 3 

—  24.  Expenses  on  board, 4 

—  25.  Ditto, 4 

Bill  at  inn  at  Malta.  —  Mrs.  Durnsford's,  12 
Valet,  porters,  passports,  and  books, .  .  .11 
Fare  to  Constantinople,  (2d  cabin,)  .     .     .165 

—  28.  Expenses  at  Athens.     Dinner,  horse,  guide, 

and  sundries, 20 

—  30.  Expenses  at  Smyrna 10 

—  25  to  September  1.    Seven  days'  living  on  board 

the  steamer,  at  4  francs  a  day,  ....  28 
Stewards,  &c., 5 

Total, 1821     60 

Or,  in  English  money,        £53 

The  above  accounts  only  include  the  actual  travelling  expenses. 
Some  of  these  were  casualties ;  for  instance,  we  waited  four  days 
at  Leghorn  for  a  steamer,  and  one  or  two  at  Milan  for  letters. 


186  APPENDIX. 


But  these  chances  may  happen  to  any  one,  and  therefore  I  have 
put  them  all  down  from  my  own  pocket-book. 

I  have  not  included  washing  and  payments  to  guides.  The  first 
may  be  reckoned  at  tlie  same  rate  as  at  home ;  and  the  second  will 
depend  upon  what  knowledge  of  the  country  the  traveller  or  his 
companion  may  possess. 

It  is  always  advisable  to  travel  in  company.  The  same  pay- 
ment often  does  as  well  for  two  as  for  one ;  and  very  frequently  a 
bargain  can  be  advantageously  made  at  hotels.  It  must  be  under- 
stood that  most  of  the  above  expenses  are  the  single  shares  of  the 
bills. 

Livixa  AT  Constantinople. 

"How  did  you  get  on,  in  your  eating  and  drinking,  in  the 
East?"  is  a  question  I  have  been  asked  several  times  since  I  re- 
turned. The  answer  is,  simply,  just  as  well  as  in  Paris,  or  Naples, 
or  anywhere  else. 

There  are  three  good  hotels  in  Pera  —  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre, 
Hotel  d'Europe,  and  Madame  Guiscppino's.  There  are  some 
other  pensions,  better  adapted  to  foreigners. 

The  Hotel  d'Angleterre  is  certainly  the  best.  It  is  kept 
by  Mipseri,  who  was  Mr.  Kinglake's  travelling  servant,  on  the 
tour  wliich  that  gentleman  has  made  so  world-known  in  his 
£othen.  The  arrangements  of  the  house  are  very  excellent,  and 
Madame  Misscri  is  an  Englishwoman.  The  expense  is  about 
twelve  and  sixpence  a-day,  reckoning  in  English  money  at  its  val- 
uation last  autumn.     English  papers  are  taken  in. 

The  Hotel  d'Europe,  kept  by  Giovanni  Destuniano,  who  was 
formerly  a  valet  de  place  attaclied  to  Misseri's  house,  is  very  com- 
fortable for  bachelors,  and  somewhat  cheaper  than  the  other.  The 
expense  is  about  ten  shillings  a-day,  but  it  is  best  to  make  a  bar- 
gain. In  either  case  this  includes  breakfast  and  dinner,  with  wine, 
coffee,  and  sleeping  apartment.      Galignani,  and  the  Illustrated 


APPENDIX.  187 


News  are  taken  in.  A  double-bedded  room  on  the  first  floor,  next 
the  salon,  is  to  be  recommended. 

Madame  Guiseppino's  is  charmingly  situated  on  the  heights 
above  the  Grolden  Horn,  and  enjoys  a  very  fine  view.  I  am  not 
acquainted  with  the  house  internally,  but  it  has  been  some  time 
established,  and  is  well  spoken  of. 

The  expense  of  a  valet  de  place  is  a  dollar  per  diem.  Demetri 
■was  stupid,  but  attentive,  and  very  honest  —  two  eligible  qualities. 

GrENERAL  Memoranda. 

Apparel  is  not  dear  in  Pera.  Semple,  the  English  tailor,  just 
above  Destuniano's,  made  me  some  clothes  almost  at  London 
prices.  Malta,  however,  is  much  cheaper,  and  that  is  where  any- 
thing wanted  should  be  procured. 

Gloves  and  boots  are  about  the  same  price  as  with  us.  The 
former  are  Neapolitan  and  very  good ;  the  latter  I  found  wear 
excellently  well.  English  hosiery  is  commonly  hawked  about  in 
Galata. 

The  best  otto  of  roses  can  be  got  at  Stampa's.  In  the  bazaars, 
rubbish  is  sometimes  passed  oflTupon  the  traveller. 

The  best  presents  to  bring  home  at  a  moderate  rate,  as  well  as 
being  the  most  characteristic,  are  the  slippers,  at  a  dollar  the  pair. 
Pipes  and  amber  mouth-pieces  are  dear.  A  tolerable  narghile, 
complete,  costs  about  twenty  francs.  The  glass  portion  should  be 
bought  at  the  German  warehouse  in  Galata,  and  the  brass  work  and 
"  snake"  in  Stamboul.  The  difficulty  in  England  is  to  obtain  the 
proper  tobacco  {tumhehj^  for  the  narghile.  At  our  London  shops 
they  give  you  latakia,  which  is  not  proper. 

There  is  very  little  trouble  either  with  the  custom-house  or 
passport-office  at  Constantinople.  The  smallest  fee  will  keep  lug- 
gage from  being  examined,  and,  unless  the  traveller  extends  hia 
journey  far  into  the  country,  his  passport  is  never  asked  for. 


188  appendix. 

Constantinople  to  Egypt. 

Although  Constantinople  is  the  subject  of  this  volume,  yet  the 
journey  down  to  Egypt  so  frequently  follows  a  visit  to  Stixmboul, 
that  I  hope  the  following  estimates  will  not  be  found  out  of  place  ; 
more  especially  as  I  do  not  think  they  are  given  in  any  other 
book.  They  are  simply  such  as  I  should  have  been  glad  of 
myself,  before  making  the  journey.  I  have,  to  avoid  confusion, 
kept  them,  as  before,  in  French  francs. 

Constantinople  to  Alexandria. 

Franca. 

Fare  to  Alexandria  by  the  Austrian  Lloyd's  boats. 

Second  class, 155 

Living  on  board, 21 

Hotel  bill   at   Smyrna,    (30   hours,)    boats,   pass- 
ports, Sec 18 

To  Alexandria,    .     .     .194 

Alexandria  to  Cairo, 

By  private  boat,  having  missed  the  transit  steamer.  Estimate  for 
two  travellers,  with  dragoman,  reis  or  capUiin,  and  crew  of  seven 
Arabs.  We  left  Alexandria  on  Saturday  evening,  and  got  to 
Boolak,  the  port  of  Cairo,  on  the  Thursday  night  following,  but 
too  late  to  land  that  evening. 

Bill  at  Alexandria,  (Hoy's.)  Two  days  ;  with  a 
dozen  of  pale  ale,  ordered  to  the  Lazaretto,  two 
dozen  for  the  Nile  boat,  with  Cognac.  Half 
share,  as  usual G2  francs. 

I  can  recommend  Giovanni  llavezzano,  with  great  confidence,  as 
a  dragoman,  from  Alexandria  onwards.     lie  is  always  to  bo  heard 


APPENDIX.  189 

of  at  Rey's  Hotel,  where  his  father  was  head-waiter  last  autumn. 
He  is  civil,  quick,  and  intelligent;  speaks  very  fair  English,  as 
well  as  French,  Italian,  and  Arabic,  and  is  an  admirable  cook. 
He  was  with  me  in  the  Kandjia  on  the  Nile ;  on  the  desert, 
with  the  camels ;  and  generally  about  Cairo,  the  Pyramids,  &c. ; 
and  under  all  circumstances  perfectly  understood  his  duties.  On 
board  the  Nile  boat,  he  had  a  dollar  a-day;  and  afterwards  at 
Cairo,  where  he  kept  himself,  six  shillings.  This  expense,  like  all 
my  others,  was  shared. 

Expenses  of  the  Nile  Boat,  etc. 

These  are  copied  from  Ravezzano's  account.  The  prices  are  in 
piastres,  at  about  one  hundred  to  a  sovereign.  Every  article  was 
of  the  commonest  description. 

Hire  of  the  Kandjia  and  crew,  from  Alex-  Piastres. 

andria  to  Cairo, 250 

Gratuity  to  Reis  and   men, 35 

Four  tumblers, 3 

Fourteen  plates, 20 

Two  cups 6 

Two  knives  and  forks, 8 

Eight  iron  spoons, 8 

A  corkscrew, 3 

A  small  iron  grate, 14 

A  milk-can, 4 

A  salt-cellar 3 

A  bottle  of  oil 5 

"      of  vinegar 2 

A  Dutch  cheese, 9 

A  jar  of  butter, 20 

Pepper  and  spices, 4 

Carried  over,      394 
IG 


190  APPENDIX. 


Piastrea. 

Brought  over,  394 

Salt ' 4 

Potatoes, 9 

Flour 4 

Bice, 4 

Pots  and  pans, 15 

Tea,  (execrable,) 4 

Coffee, • 7 

Soap, 1 

Charcoal 20 

Board  to  cut  meat  on, 5 

Onions, 4 

Waste  paper  and  string, 4 

Grapes, ' 5 

Apples, 5 

Bananas, 6 

Baisins, 8 

Almonds, 8 

Two  lanterns, 12 

A  coffee-pot  and  milk-jug, 5 

Cheese-grater, 2 

Two  mattresses, 120 

Two  iron  foumeaux, 20 

Ten  napkins,  (calico,) 14 

Bread 20 

A  piece  of  mutton, ■ ....  25 

Seven  fowls 18 

Five  caf asses,  (crates  and  coops,) 9 

A  truck  to  take  the  things 10 

Custom-house  dues, 5 

Porters, 3 

Donkey  hire, 4 

Carried  forward,  764 


APPENDIX.  191 

Piastres. 

Brought  forward,  764 

Vegetables,  salad,  &c., 18 

Gunpowder, 15 

Shot, 6 

Caps, 3 

Salaisons  and  sardines, 15 

Sugar, 12 

A  kitchen  knife  and  hone, 5 

Lucifers, 1 

Candles, 20 

Tea-pot, 8 

At  Atfeh. 

Lamp-oil 6 

Grain  for  the  fowls, 1 

Eggs, 2 

Milk 3 

On  the  Nih. 

Some  mutton, 9 

Milk  and  eggs, 2 

Donkeys,  to  land  at  Boolak, 3 

Sundries  impossible  to  be  deciphered  in  the  account,  20 

Total  of  boat  expenses,      ....  933 

Or,  about £9  9s. 

So  we  have  expended,  from  Constantinople  to  Alexan- 
dria, 194  francs,  which  we  will  call £8     0  0 

Bill  at  Alexandria,  62  francs,  or  about 2  10  0 

Half  of  boat  expenses  to  Cairo,  933  piastres,  or  £9  93.,  4  14  6 

Constantinople  to  Cairo, £15    4  6 


192  APPENDIX. 


Everything  should  be  of  the  cheapest  description,  because,  after 
your  arrival  at  Cairo,  unless  you  are  proceeding  up  the  Nile,  your 
stores  are  perfectly  useless. 

Quarantine. 

Great  modifications  have  of  late  taken  place,  with  respect  to  the 
duration  of  quarantine,  at  many  of  the  Mediterranean  ports,  on 
returning  from  the  East. 

At  ]\Ialta,  the  quarantine,  at  present,  is  only  five  days,  and  the 
lazaretto  is  the  best  of  its  kind.  Of  these  five  days,  those  of 
entrance  and  egress  both  count,  so  that  the  imprisonment  is,  in 
reality,  reduced  to  three  entire  ones. 

An  admirable  arrangement  has  lately  been  effected  at  Marseilles. 
By  the  new  law,  (which  came  into  operation  towards  the  close  of 
the  past  year,  and  by  which  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  one  of 
the  first  batch  of  passengers  benefited,)  all  vessels  arriving  there 
from  the  Levant  ports,  if  they  have  been  exactly  eight  days  on 
the  voyage,  and  have  an  appointed  physician  on  board,  who  can 
vouch  for  a  clean  bill  of  health,  receive  full  pratique  on  ar- 
riving. This  sensible  regulation  will  be  of  good  service  to  the 
traffic  interest  of  Marseilles. 

The  same  pratique  is  granted  to  the  Levant  boats  of  the  Aus- 
trian Lloyd's  Company,  on  their  arrival  at  Trieste. 

Everything  that  diminishes  the  expense  and  discomfort  of 
quarantine  is  of  real  importance  to  the  travellers  returning  from 
the  East.  Nothing  repays  one  for  its  enntii  and  general  wretch- 
edness. To  men  it  is  as  bad  as  can  be ;  and  to  ladies  the  misery 
and  inconvenience  must  be  insupportable. 


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